King River Resources has uncovered more high-grade gold in the latest round of drilling at its Kurundi project in the Northern Territory, while also firming up two iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) targets it plans to test this month at its nearby Kuiper prospect.
The company today reported results from 13 reverse circulation holes at Kurundi, with one of the standout hits coming from a newly discovered structure 300 metres northeast of the Kurundi Main prospect. One hole pulled up 4m at 1.43 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, including 2m going 2.79g/t from a shallow 9m depth.
King River says the mineralisation remains open both at depth and along strike and appears spatially associated with historic alluvial gold workings in the area.
The newly discovered zone adds to a string of earlier high-grade hits at Kurundi Main, including 7m at 6.35g/t gold from 25m, with 1m at a blazing 35.26g/t gold, 6m at 4.77g/t from 29m with 3m at 9.28g/t, and 3m going 8.3g/t from 35m that included 1m at 15.5g/t.
Five new holes were drilled under the central Kurundi Main structure, intersecting veining and structure consistent with previous results, though grades were variable. Notably, another hole returned improved values of 7m at 0.49g/t gold, including 2m at 1.12g/t, pointing to the potential for a down-plunge northerly extension that remains open at depth.
Another four holes were completed to probe the southern extent of the main mineralised zone, though structural complexity, including an offsetting fault, may be obscuring the true extent of the mineralisation in that area.
The company also has its eye on the Kuiper target, where soil sampling has produced encouraging pathfinder signatures over a pair of coincident gravity and magnetic anomalies. The targets lie within Warramunga Formation-equivalent rocks under about 10m of Cambrian cover, similar to the host rocks of nearby IOCG deposits such as Emmerson Resources’ Hermitage and Edna Beryl projects.
At Kuiper West, soil geochemistry showed anomalism in key IOCG trace elements such as gold, copper, silver, bismuth and arsenic. The bismuth anomaly aligns with the heart of the gravity anomaly, an encouraging indicator given bismuth’s association with Tennant Creek-style IOCG systems.
The company believes the data supports a compelling interpretation of ironstone-hosted mineralisation beneath the geophysical targets and says drilling at Kuiper is scheduled to kick off this month.
Earlier this year, King River also completed a series of holes at its Providence, Langrenus and Commitment prospects and regional targets around Kurundi, including the Millers, Mick and Petas and Tarragans prospects. It has also been steadily building its footprint in the Tennant Creek region, acquiring a further licence for $44,000 in May. The newest tenement surrounds its Kurundi asset and includes the historic Power of Wealth gold mine and high-grade gold potential at the Priesters prospect, where past rock chips graded up to 49.5g/t gold.
Drilling at Kurundi has previously delivered some impressive assays, including 7m at 5.8g/t with 3m at 11.9g/t and 1m at 26g/t gold from just 32m. A possible new high-grade zone footwall to the main structure delivered 2m at 10.93g/t with 1m at 20.75g/t.
At the southern end of the Kurundi Main workings, a 2024 hole returned 9m going 1.62g/t gold, including 1m at 12.75g/t, confirming the potential for multiple plunging shoots and discrete structures.
King River’s Tennant Creek tenement package covers more than 5000 square kilometres and sits within one of Australia’s most fertile gold and base metals provinces. The company has already identified a swathe of drill targets based on geophysical signatures and soil sampling and is now working through those methodically.
With high-grade gold hits continuing to roll in and drilling at its high-priority IOCG targets set to commence, King River’s Northern Territory campaign appears to be hitting its stride.
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By Bill McConnell
