Barton Gold has revealed more stunning gold intercepts from its final 29 holes of the last drilling program at the Tarcoola gold project in the central Gawler Craton of SA including 5 metres at 48.9 grams per tonne gold. The hits continue a run of success following the recent gold discoveries around the northern edges of the Perseverance pit and the gold zone discovered at Perseverance West last year.
The final 29 holes of the drill program totalled 3,086m through the southern end of the Perseverance Mine and have confirmed significant, very high-grade mineralisation extending along strike and at depth.
Some other seriously good intercepts from the southern end of the Perseverance mine include 4m at an eye-watering 61.99 g/t gold from 115m; 7m at 9.72 g/t gold from 42m, including 2m at a very healthy 23.8 g/t gold from 45m and 4m at 11.38 g/t gold from 107m, including 1m at 40.66 g/t gold from 108m.
The company says the phase 2 drilling has significantly extended the mineralised envelope of the Perseverance Mine, with final assays confirming a 90m depth extension in the north end of the Perseverance Mine and a circa 200m extension to depth below the southern pit floor, as well as a 350m extension to the south southwest.
The Tarcoola gold project sits in the prospective central Gawler Craton in South Australia and houses the Lady Racin’ prospect and the Perseverance historical open pit.
Interestingly, despite a high-grade mining history, the Perseverance Mine was only developed to a maximum depth of 75m, with hardly any extensional drilling completed.
Barton’s earlier phase 1 drilling program of 37 holes totalling 5,328m discovered the high-grade Perseverance West gold zone near the pit wall. Mineralisation was encountered for more than 200m below the pit floor and these latest phase 2 assays have confirmed Perseverance West as a second circa 350m long, high-grade extension. It appears to run parallel to the previously known 500m long Deliverance Target, which extends to about 250m depth from the pit floor.
Barton says these results, taken together with the recent 90m northern depth extension discovery, offer substantial opportunities for expansion of the Perseverance Mine.
Barton Gold Managing Director, Alexander Scanlon said: “Perseverance West is now established as a significant, high-grade extension of the Perseverance Mine, in parallel to the high-grade Perseverance Shear structure. Phase 1 and Phase 2 drilling have yielded some very encouraging grades and intersections to complement significant historical high-grade intersections near the open pit profile. We have now significantly grown the mineralised profile for the Perseverance Mine, including a ~350m shallow extension.
He added “Barton has made a new discovery with every Tarcoola work program over the past 24 months, and we are just getting started. With the Phase 2 drilling extension discoveries, and our recent discovery of over 25 shallow targets within ~1.5km of the pit, we believe we are just getting a hint of Tarcoola’s true regional potential”
The company is also expecting a steady stream of assay results from the phase 1 Tunkillia drill program, located approximately 70m south-south-east of the Tarcoola, where over 5,300m of drilling was completed through Areas 223, 223 North and 191.
Barton is investing heavily with the drill bit and seem confident this will add more ounces to its large and growing resource base. It appears to remain laser focused on the twin goals of converting the current resource at the Perseverance open pit to reach JORC compliance and further testing the extent of mineralisation that remains open in all directions.
With historically inefficient exploration efforts previously undertaken in the Perseverance open pit and ownership of the underexplored land surrounding the mine, Barton appears well positioned to take advantage of the gold left in the ground at the current gold price.
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By Matt Birney
