Corazon locks in rig for debut deep drilling assault on WA gold play

Corazon Mining has taken a determined stride towards its first sub-surface test of the company’s fully-owned Two Pools gold project, 200 kilometres northeast of Meekatharra in Western Australia.

The company has locked in contractor K-Drill and finalised a tightly targeted maiden program, comprising an initial phase of four diamond drill holes for 1000 metres. The campaign aims to pin down the geometry and structural controls of high-grade lodes, previously flagged in historical drilling. 

Notably, Corazon needs the geological data that only an oriented diamond drill core can deliver, enabling it to build a clearer geological model to guide a follow-up reverse circulation (RC) drilling blitz.

This savvy exploration approach is often overlooked by explorers eager to test a new patch of ground. Instead, many burn through large numbers of cheaper non-diamond metres in an effort to avoid the higher cost of diamond drilling before properly getting to grips with key structures, their orientations, the base of oxidation and other critical geological clues.

At the top of the priority list is a standout 400-metre-deep hole, aimed at a potential north-west extension of the mineralised system that stretches 300 metres, an area where only limited drilling has previously ventured. 

The remaining holes will probe the project’s core zone and a shallower eastern spot, which remains open in multiple directions. Target areas include historical hits such as 12 metres at 8.9 grams per tonne gold and 8 metres at 7.8 grams per tonne gold.

Corazon Mining managing director Simon Coyle said: “This program is strategically designed to resolve the structural complexities of the mineralised system, providing the technical foundation required for long-term exploration success. Most importantly, we are testing the high-grade core and the significant down-plunge extensions of the system, which remain open and largely untested.”

Securing the drill rig follows the recent completion of several approvals at Two Pools, including a Program of Work sign-off for both reverse circulation and diamond drilling, along with a near-completed heritage survey in collaboration with the Gingirana people through the Marputu Aboriginal Corporation.

Corazon says drilling will kick off once final heritage survey reports are received.

From a broader standpoint, Two Pools sits at the centre of Corazon’s plan to unlock value through high-grade gold exploration in Western Australia.

The project pairs neatly with the company’s Feather Cap gold ground in the Bryah–Padbury Basin to the southwest, giving Corazon two shots at discovery across some highly prospective WA geology.

Together, the projects provide strong near-term exploration momentum, while the company still keeps a foothold in the battery metals space through its Lynn Lake nickel-copper-cobalt project in Canada.

With a sizeable 1.8-kilometre by 1.2-kilometre surface gold anomaly sitting over Target Area 1 and the deeper down-plunge portion of the system largely untouched, Two Pools is shaping up as a genuine “let’s see what’s really in there” moment. 

If the deep diamond core holes deliver clear structure and continuity, punters could be in for a steady stream of news flow as Corazon lines up back-to-back drilling programs on what is shaping up as a tantalising local gold prospect.

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