Hamelin Gold Limited (ASX:HMG) has discovered high-grade gold mineralization in the first diamond drill hole at the Sultan prospect in the West Tanami Gold Project, Western Australia.
“Over 400 RAB / RC holes and approximately 1,000 vacuum holes have been drilled at the Afghan prospect by previous explores defining a four km long gold trend,” Managing Director Peter Bewick said.
“The Sultan target was initially identified as a gold-in-soil anomaly located 750 metres southeast of the main Afghan trend, on the margin of granite contact in an area with limited previous drilling.
“The discovery of high-grade gold mineralization at Sultan in a single hole programme is an outstanding result for the Hamelin team. The extent of the Sultan prospect remains completely unconstrained with mineralization open in all directions with little work conducted along the interpreted mineralized trend.
“Following these highly encouraging results we have elevated Sultan to a priority target for 2023.”
Background
Previous exploration in the northwest portion of the West Tanami Project focused along the 4km long Northern Gold Anomaly at the Afghan gold prospect. Drilling along this east- northeast trending anomaly defined broad zones of near surface gold mineralization including:
• 10 metres @ 1.4 g/t Au from 4 metres in AFG002
• 23 metres @ 0.85 g/t Au from 43 metres in ACR013
• 10 metres @ 0.42 g/t Au from 116 metres in AFG008 and
• 16 metres @ 0.59 g/t Au from 33 metres in TRB0513
Gold mineralisation at Afghan is interpreted to be located along the axis of a major antiformal fold.
The southern limb of the fold hosts the two Southern Gold Anomalies, located to the north of a large granite intrusion. Previous drilling along the southern limb is limited to broad spaced RAB drilling generally less than 10 metres deep, and a few isolated sections of RC drilling to depths of 50 to 100 metres from surface.
EIS Co-funded Diamond Drilling
A single diamond drill hole, TSD0007, was designed to test for a bedrock gold source beneath the western end of the two surface gold anomalies along the southern limb of the Afghan antiform, and to provide information on the geological and structural architecture in this underexplored region. This hole was co- funded through the WA Government EIS programme.
Diamond drill hole TSD0007 collared in coarse clastic sediments before intersecting zones of faulting and brecciation, and zones of quartz veining and granitoid intrusives.
High grade gold mineralisation has been discovered at the contact between a granitoid intrusion and a package of sediments and mafic rocks. Gold mineralisation is hosted within a series of brecciated and deformed quartz veins (see Figure 1) with best results including:
• 7.6 metres at 3.2 g/t Au from 326.2 metres including • 1.1 metres at 15.9 g/t Au from 329.7 metres
The mineralized quartz veins intersected in TSD0007 represent a new zone of high-grade gold mineralisation along a geological contact not targeted by previous explorers. The mineralisation at Sultan is open along strike and up and down dip. The mineralized veins strike towards the east-northeast and dip steeply to the north.
Mr Bewick said the discovery of high-grade gold in TSD0007 further validates Hamelin’s exploration strategy and confirms our belief that systematic exploration of the belt scale West Tanami Project has the potential to deliver high grade gold discoveries in areas of ineffective historic shallow drilling.
For further information please visit: https://hamelingold.com.au/
