Auric kicks off drilling in WA multi-commodity hunt

The gentle hum of the RC drill rig can be heard at Auric Mining’s Chalice West project near Norseman. The company is plumbing the depths of its prime goldfields tenure to seek the source of significant gold, nickel and rare earths anomalism.

ASX-listed Auric raised a few eyebrows earlier this year after releasing a concoction of significant rare earths, gold and nickel anomalies from a reconnaissance air-core program of 227 holes for 7227m at Chalice West.

Chalice West covers 408 square kilometres in an area that sits in proximity to Chalice Mining’s nearby operation that has churned out over 672,000 ounces of gold in the past seven years.

Not to disappoint the gold punters, Auric recently outlined a string of intriguing gold values greater than 10 parts per billion over a strike of roughly 5km.

Additionally, the company mapped out three ultramafic units with two holding distinct nickel anomalies.

Notable assay results show a 9m intercept going 3636 parts per million nickel from 15m including a 2m hit at 6663ppm nickel from 18m. Another hole recorded a 13m section recording 2116ppm nickel from 20m.

The explorer says its intercepts are within weathered ultramafic units revealing the potential for nickel sulphide mineralisation below the oxide zone, similar to komatiite-hosted nickel sulphide mineralisation for which the Widgiemooltha area is renowned.

Rounding out the trifecta at Auric’s multi-commodity play is a series of rare earths anomalies. Air-core drilling kicked up a 4m hit at 3591 parts-per-million total rare earth oxides, or “TREO” from 41m.

The 4m section includes a high-grade 1m intercept at an outstanding 11,038ppm TREO from 42m with an impressive 22 per cent magnetic rare earth oxides, or “MREO”.

Auric’s foray with the drill rig will see a total of five holes for roughly 600m to target the bedrock source of gold and nickel anomalism. Further air-core drilling is slated to follow up the clay-hosted rare earths potential.

Of the five holes, two will specifically target a prospective fertile ultramafic unit beneath the highest grade nickel hit that also coincides with a prominent magnetic feature.

Following the company’s probe at Chalice West, the rig will be rolled into the nearby Miitel South gold prospect to complete a further eight holes for over 1000m.

Ranked by Auric as “one of the Company’s highest priority gold targets”, the drill rig will attempt to latch onto the bedrock source of gold anomalism detected in rock chip samples, soil samples and trenching.

Interestingly, the spoils of historical alluvial mining are scattered over the area of interest.

Miitel South forms part of Auric’s larger Widgiemooltha gold project that combines 20 tenements with five granted mining leases. The operation houses the company’s Munda gold deposit which has a JORC mineral resource estimate of 4.48 million tonnes averaging 1.38 grams per tonne for nearly 200,000 ounces of the precious yellow metal.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au