Emu NL is back on the bit in Western Australia with the tenacious ASX-listed explorer set to plough more than 6,500 metres of drilling into its Monte Cristo and Gnows Nest gold discoveries south of Yalgoo. The company’s previous drilling over the project area uncovered a bounty of high-grade mineralisation below the old Gnows Nest workings, with better intercepts including an impressive 3 metres at 42.17 grams per gold from 77m and 4m at 20.43 g/t gold from 95m down-hole.
The company also completed an initial drilling campaign over the Monte Cristo workings about 3km to the north-west of Gnows Nest, returning a bevy of interesting intercepts including 3m at 13.36 g/t gold from just 67m down-hole. Emu is now planning additional drilling over the discovery to extend the prospect along strike and at depth.
Interestingly, Emu also recently completed an extensive program of mapping and surface soil sampling over the area surrounding the Monte Cristo discovery, with the aim of better defining the mineralised structure that is interpreted to run between Monte Cristo and Gnows Nest. The surface sampling program extended over more than 1,000m of strike, with field work identifying a new target around 800m south-east of Monte Cristo, coined the “Watertank Hill” prospect.
The company plans to test Watertank Hill as part of the current drilling program, although much of the meterage for the program is earmarked for Gnows Nest itself. Emu has identified quartz vein-hosted gold mineralisation down to around 150m below surface at Gnows Nest, with the prospect extending along more than 500m of strike.
Emu’s shallow drilling at Gnow’s Nest delineated two high-grade shoots hosted by the mineralised shear, with the new drilling program designed to systematically test the new zones to more than 250m below surface.
The company’s Gnows Nest and Monte Cristo prospects are located in the resurgent Murchison mineral field of Western Australia, 32 kilometres to the south-east of the historical Yalgoo gold mining centre. The Murchison is currently attracting a new wave of explorers where the likes of Surefire and White Cliff Minerals have already notched up impressive new gold discoveries.
However, Emu now looks well placed to join their ranks as it continues to deliver a swag of high-grade drill intercepts at Gnow’s Nest. The explorer may also quickly garner the attention of existing miners in the region, with several nearby mills looking for high-grade feed, including Silver Lake’s Deflector operations that sit just 50km to the west of Emu’s project area.
Exploration by the previous workers at Gnows Nest has already outlined a shallow JORC-resource of 113,400 tonnes at 3.78 g/t gold over the mine area.
The ongoing drilling program is not only showing the potential for an open pit operation but also beginning to define a deeper underground mining opportunity according to the company.
Emu’s ground position south of Yalgoo now stretches along more than 6km of mineralised strike and with current drilling testing no less than three high-grade discoveries , the company may be stacking the deck in the months ahead as it continues to pump out a rash of eye-catching gold intercepts from the region.
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