Solara Minerals now has boots on the ground and is soil sampling at its newest Wilgeena gold project which sits in the middle of one of Australia’s hottest gold addresses, in Western Australia’s burgeoning Murchison region.
The company says it is targeting gold anomalism within its Peak Hill schists, host to its neighbouring 114,000-ounce Hermes South deposit as Solara looks to join the regions gold resurgence. Neighbours include Westgold Resources’ 481,000-ounce Peak Hill mine and Catalyst Metals’ Hermes deposit just 15kms north.
Solara says historical soil and rock chip sampling at Wilgeena revealed low to moderate gold anomalism, but the method’s reliability remains in question due to transported surface cover.
Its latest fine fraction soil sampling and field programs aim to eliminate any uncertainty, by defining structural trends controlling gold mineralisation across its two Wilgeena tenements.
The Wilgeena project covers 52.7-square-kilometres of prime Bryah Basin greenstones, with the focus of this high-resolution geochemical survey designed to refine project-scale anomalism into drill-ready targets for early next year.
Historical air core drilling within the project returned sniffs of anomalous gold in the early 2010s yet saw limited follow-up.
Solara believes its anomalies in the Peak Hill schist suggest gold mineralisation linked to sulphides in fold hinges, expecting its survey will vector towards prospective zones particularly where the Peak Hill schist meets the Naracoota Volcanic rocks.
Results will guide drill planning with the company already negotiating a heritage agreement with the Jidi Jidi Aboriginal Corporation to support ongoing fieldwork.
Solara says its existing geophysical data, including airborne magnetics highlight the folding in the Peak Hill Schist aligning with historical gold anomalism and nearby gold deposits.
The company is also reviewing historical surveys from previous owners Alchemy Resources to refine its exploration strategy, focusing on modern geochemistry and structural controls as it works to progress Wilgeena to discovery ready status.
With its systematic strategic approach to evaluating historical data and targeted fieldwork, the company says it is poised to rapidly advance its exploration efforts.
The project’s proximity to established gold deposits in one of, if not the hottest emerging WA gold region, sets the company up perfectly for upcoming drilling. And if that drilling can unlock the next WA gold discovery, with gold prices above $6000 an ounce, this $10m market cap company is one worth watching.
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By Andrew Todd
