Kula back on the rig at Southern Cross kaolin discovery

Kula Gold is back at work at its Marvel Loch-Airfield project in the Southern Cross region of WA. The company’s 62-hole RC drilling onslaught of its kaolin and halloysite ground at the Boomerang prospect is again springing to life. Management says the campaign is aimed at defining the geographic extent and assessing the resource potential of the area. Kula expects the program to be polished off by Christmas.

To date the company has sunk about 2 dozen holes at the Boomerang prospect for a total of 1,316 metres, with logging pointing to an average vertical thickness of 30m of white kaolin clays from only 6.5m vertical depth.

According to management, the balance of the drilling is aimed at testing the northern and southern areas of its landholdings as it looks to define the lateral and vertical extent of the kaolinized horizon. Supplementary drilling has also been designed to serve as infill holes between the recent drilling zones where deeper kaolin alteration was unveiled.

At the same time the company will look to test a coincident gold target below the kaolin horizon by extending the drillholes to about 10 to 15m and penetrating the fresh rock below.

Kula generated its Boomerang kaolin prospect earlier this year following the discovery of thick intersections of white kaolin clays from a trio of RC drill holes. The notable results from that trifecta included one hole that returned 10m going a solid 7 per cent halloysite from 40m downhole within a wider 55m intercept from 5m.

Kaolin is chiefly used as a “filler” in the paper manufacturing industry to increase gloss, smoothness and brightness. The mineral is also used in fiberglass manufacturing to produce lightweight composites for the aerospace, automotive and marine industries, amongst a host of others.

In recent times market interest in halloysite and kaolin developers has increased, with the over $400 million market-capped Andromeda Metals receiving it fair share of the spotlight through discovery of the company’s Great White deposit in South Australia. 

Amid rising global demand for kaolin, Kula has positioned itself well with a double header of both kaolin and gold assets at its Marvel Loch-Airfield project. The company is now on track to pepper its ground with drill holes up until Christmas and if the numbers hold up, 2022 could prove a watershed year for the Perth-based explorer.

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