ASX listed Emu NL has ramped up drilling at its lode-gold style Gnows Nest project in WA with a 6,500m reverse circulation program that has already intersected quartz veining at depths between 120m and 190m downhole. Drill testing is ongoing at the historic Gnows Nest mine, the Monte Cristo prospect and at a new target known as Watertank Hill, within a significant structural zone between Gnows Nest and Monte Cristo.
The current drill program was designed to follow-up a 10,932m RC drilling campaign completed in the first quarter of this year.
Notably, of the first four drill holes that were looking to target depth extensions of high-grade mineralisation below the northern shoot of the historic Gnows Nest mine, all intersected quartz veining over a vertical range of 70m at the anticipated position of the host shear zone 50m below the deepest level of historical mining. Additionally, two drillholes completed at the regional Dantes Camp target to the east of Gnows Nest similarly intersected two zones of quartz veining. Drilling is currently testing the depth extensions to the southern shoot at Gnows Nest.
Emu’s Gnows Nest gold project sits in the resurgent Murchison mineral field of Western Australia, 32km to the south-east of the historical Yalgoo mining centre. The Murchison is currently attracting a horde of new explorers following the success of the likes of Surefire and White Cliff Minerals with their respective impressive new gold discoveries in the area. The tenements overlay a complex structural flexure in greenstone terrane, hence the potential for gold bearing veins in the area. The geological setting is also considered favourable for volcanic-hosted base metal mineralisation, as it is in the same greenstone belt that hosts the world-class Golden Grove copper-zinc mine.
The company acquired the Gnows Nest gold project late last year and has quietly continued to build on its tenement position across the historic terrane. Emu’s tenure now stretches from the Brilliant gold prospect in the south through to the northern strike extensions of the Monte Cristo discovery, covering more than 6km of gold-rich strike. The maiden RC drill program at Gnows Nest earlier this year uncovered a treasure trove of gold mineralisation, including 3 metres at a stunning 42.18 grams per tonne gold and this interval contained an even more outstanding 1m at 89.57 g/t gold from 78m down-hole.
As part of the current programme, Emu has plans to systematically test the immediate strike extensions of high-grade mineralisation encountered at Monte Cristo. The drilling will also test the depth extensions of the faulted mineralised quartz vein within two offset positions. Previous drilling at Monte Cristo produced some notable results including 3m at 13.35 g/t gold from 67m and 6m at 6.51 g/t gold that hosted a 1m section grading 22.77 g/t gold from 120m down-hole.
The Dantes Camp target is situated on a distinctive northwest-trending geophysical trend only 350m east of the Gnows Nest mine and importantly, it has similar geological characteristics according to Emu. Currently two completed exploration drill holes have hit a 4m zone of fractured and brecciated quartz veining at a downhole depth of 40m. The quartz vein material has finely disseminated sulphides scattered throughout which is a good sign and these veins are hosted in within sheared mafic rocks. An additional 2m wide vein zone was intersected at 100m, also within sheared mafic rocks. Emu has fast tracked selected intervals for assay and is nervously awaiting the results.
It is worth noting that prior exploration by previous owners of the project yielded a shallow JORC-resource of 113,400 tonnes at 3.78 g/t gold over the Gnows Nest mine, with the current drilling program not only showing the potential for an open pit operation, but also beginning to define a deeper underground mining opportunity.
Significantly, Emu believes the mineralisation extends along strike from Monte Cristo in the north to the recent Brilliant discovery in the south, a distance of more than 4km, hinting at a much larger gold system than was previously recognised.
Several regional targets, including Watertank Hill located approximately 850m to the southeast of Monte Cristo, will also be tested in this current drill campaign. The Watertank Hill prospect sits on a favourable structural flexure in the greenstone belt and contains historical mine workings. Emu has just completed a soil sampling programme in the area and results are imminent, which will help finalise the best drill collar positions at this target.
Emu’s success at Gnows Nest is potentially likely to catch the eye of other miners in the region.
With a clutch of nearby mills possibly looking for higher-grade feed, including Silver Lake’s Deflector mill, just 50km to the west of Gnows Nest, Emu just might manage to eke out some early cash flows at Gnows Nest if it can prove up a reasonable resource.
With the results pending from its latest drilling crusade, Emu won’t have long to wait to determine where to take this exciting project next.
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