WA-focused explorer Infinity Mining has been granted a five-year extension for an exploration licence that constitutes the largest component of its Hillside project that lies over the Coongan Greenstone Belt in Western Australia’s Pilbara.
Infinity’s management describes the licence extension as a great success for the company, adding it is currently seeking approvals to launch a drilling program over the tenement during this year’s field season.
Hillside is part of the Queensland-based company’s so-called “Pilbara Package” which in total comprises four projects – Panorama, Tambourah, Noreena Downs and Hillside. Hillside covers almost 400 square kilometres, surrounds the mining lease of the historic Edelwiess gold mine and is located roughly 50km south-west of Marble Bar and 185km south-east of Port Hedland.
Only last month, Infinity was granted a five-year extension to exploration licence E45/4708 which comprises 27 sub-blocks that make up the Hillside project with three other adjoining tenements. E45/4824 is one of those three tenements and comprises 65 sub-blocks.
Infinity Mining CEO, Joe Groot said: “The Company has invested heavily in the exploration of this ground and is confident in the geological character of the Project.”
“The approvals process is progressing well, and we expect to be ready to commence drilling as planned mid-2023.”
The proposed drilling campaign is scheduled to comprise a nine-hole RC campaign focused on the highest-priority targets.
Though explored by previous owners of the tenement for gold and copper, Infinity says only limited drilling has been carried out. Infinity is looking at Hillside for a range of metalliferous deposits including shear-hosted gold systems, volcanogenic massive hosted sulphide, or “VHMS” base metals and pegmatite-hosted lithium deposits.
The company has invested heavily to date in exploration at the project. It began field work in May 2022 from a base camp established on the southern border of the Hillside project licences. Work involved repairs to pastoral tracks in the project area for access, reconnaissance, rocks sampling, soil sampling and visits to the proposed drill sites.
The company’s program of exploration for 2023 is based on its earlier work and results from a recent helicopter versatile time domain electromagnetic, or “VTEM” survey conducted over portions of the tenement.
Exploration has focused on unearthing quartz vein-hosted gold, ultramafic intrusive related nickel-copper sulphides, VHMS systems and lithium-bearing pegmatites – within both E45/4824 and surrounding licence areas.
In 2018, a helicopter-borne electromagnetic survey was conducted to identify concealed conductive anomalies which may represent buried sulphide mineralisation.
The resulting data was processed by Newexco and all observed conductive anomalies were ranked, with 18 high-ranked anomalies considered to be worthy of follow-up work and drilling.
Nine of the highest-priority targets have been selected for the drill program.
The new expiry date for the E45/4824 licence is 4 December 2027.
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By Matt Birney
