Novo to probe high grade NSW gold targets

Novo Resources will launch a 2000-metre reverse circulation drill program this month at Tibooburra in northwestern New South Wales to test high grade gold results from soil and rock chip geochemistry and other exploration. 

Recent surface sampling at the company’s Clone prospect produced results of 89.6 grams per tonne (g/t) and 41.9g/t gold in mullock around old workings and 31.4g/t and 10.4g/t gold from quartz vein outcrop along a 700m strike.

Three weeks of comprehensive soil sampling and mapping over a 3 kilometre regional structural strike has defined anomalism above 30 parts per billion (ppb) gold. The best responses were 1585ppb and 1440ppb gold within a 600m long, 200m wide area in the southeastern end of the soil grid.

Solid signatures were also defined along a 500m fault-parallel strike at the northwestern end of the grid, where sample spacing remains more open at 20m by 80m. At the main anomaly, the soil grid was closed down to 20m by 40m sample spacing.

Novo’s mapping has also highlighted the west-dipping Clone Thrust, which the company believes is associated with high-grade gold mineralisation and significant sericite-carbonate alteration.

Both gold anomalies are centred on a persistent northwest-southeast structural trend that transects the Clone prospect and appears to be part of or within the influence of the New Bendigo Fault. The fault runs through the northern part of Novo’s main tenement block in an open sinuous trend for at least 30km. 

The main fault corridor and its associated parallel structures are cross-cut by multiple parallel north-northeast/south-southwest trending short faults that could offer multiple plumbing systems and/or depositional sites for mineralisation.

As of late last year, the Tibooburra ground has been part of a joint venture and farm-in between Manhattan Corporation and Beatons Creek Gold, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Novo Resources, where Novo will explore Manhattan’s northern tenements that comprise the Tibooburra gold project. 

The agreement with Manhattan grants Novo an option to acquire a 70 per cent interest in the Tibooburra ground, subject to expenditure conditions.

The project covers about 66km of underexplored gold-mineralised strike and has significant gold potential.

Novo Resources executive co-chairman and acting chief executive officer Mike Spreadborough said: “Tibooburra is a standout exploration opportunity due to previous high-grade drilling results and compelling exploration upside. The program we have developed will test several priority gold targets identified through our recently completed three-week reconnaissance program. The remainder of 2025 is set to be a busy year exploration-wise for Novo.”

Manhattan drilled 10 reverse circulation holes at the Clone prospect in 2023 which demonstrated high-grade gold mineralisation along more than 250m of strike, to a maximum depth of 75m and extending south along a trend interpreted to continue for a further 700m. 

Significantly, every hole nailed significant gold mineralisation, including a 31m run grading at 1.29g/t gold from 60m that included 3m at 6.52g/t gold. 

Three other solid intercepts delivered 6m at 4.22g/t from 66m, including 2m at 11.65g/t, 7m at 7.23g/t from 81m, including 3m at 16.1g/t, and 9m at 6.03g/t gold from 16m. 

Manhattan highlighted several targets, including New Bendigo, Clone, Pioneer, Elizabeth Reef and Good Friday, but apart from the New Bendigo prospect, little systematic modern exploration has been undertaken. 

More than 200 historic workings have been defined at Tibooburra on multiple lines of diggings over 34km of interpreted mineralised trends.

At Clone, extensive historical workings exist over more than 450m of strike and between 20 and 40m depth.

The Clone ground remains notably underexplored and exhibits mineralisation that is open in all directions and trends further to the south.

Interpretation of remote sensing imagery reveals extensive sedimentary cover, particularly in the south, for at least a further 15km along the prospective target corridor, leaving plenty of scope for future exploration to discover potential ‘blind’ deposits.

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