A recent induced-polarisation (IP) geophysical survey run by Strickland Metals at its emerging Rogozna gold project in Serbia has highlighted what the company says are two targets exhibiting strong chargeability anomalism.
Management says the survey identified the Jezerska Reka and Obradov Potok targets as having bigger anomalous zones, with stronger responses than the anomalies associated with its Shanac and Copper Canyon deposits that comprise a 5.4 million-ounce gold-equivalent resource.
It believes the two new prospects present significant new near-term opportunities to grow the resource, as both sit directly along strike to the north-west from the current deposits that form the current estimate.
At the Jezerska Reka prospect, a circular IP chargeability anomaly has been defined to measure about 600m by 900m, with a depth extent limit of 400m. It begins near-to-surface and coincides with multi-element geochemical anomalies found in soils and outcropping advanced argillic alteration, which forms clay-type minerals in the exposed rock.
There were six anomalies identified at Obradov Potok, with the biggest being 1200m in length and 400m wide. It begins at 60m, with the strongest section of the anomaly extending to 120m. The five remaining anomalies are up to 300m long, 150m wide and extend to depths down to 200m and coincide with anomalous soil samples from previous exploration.
The IP surveys were designed to follow up on widespread gold, copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum and bismuth anomalies uncovered in soils from previous programs and which are associated with extensive hydrothermal alteration at surface.
Strickland Metals managing director Paul L’Herpiniere said: “The new IP survey data has increased our confidence that the Jezerska Reka and Obradov Potok target areas have the potential to host significant bodies of mineralisation, opening up another exciting new avenue for discovery and growth at Rogozna. The IP anomalism at Jezerska Reka and Obradov Potok is more laterally extensive and of stronger tenor than similar anomalies at Shanac, Copper Canyon and Gradina.”
The company says there are four rigs working at Rogozna across the Shanac-Medenovac-Gradina deposits, with plans to move one of the rigs to Jezerska Reka in the coming weeks. It notes that historical drilling at Jezerska has identified porphyry-related alteration and veining, confirming the prospect as a high-priority target for porphyry-hosted copper-gold mineralisation.
Porphyry deposits can often comprise bulk-scale operations with huge tonnage, low-grade, easy-to-mine deposits that can stretch from surface to deep underground.
The company recently appointed leading porphyry expert Dr David Cooke to conduct a review of the porphyry potential across the wider Rogozna project. Management has received the technical report and believes it has significantly improved its technical understanding of the site’s porphyry potential.
The review confirmed that a previous drillhole at the Jezerska Reka prospect last year demonstrated potential within the Rogozna site for porphyry-style mineralisation centres. It also mused that the skarn deposits and epithermal veins previously found at the site could belong to bigger porphyry-centred mineral systems and may provide potential for porphyry-style mineralisation at depth.
Strickland recently unearthed further drilling success at its Medenovac deposit, with a stellar 50m intercept grading 5.6 grams per tonne gold equivalent – part of a whopping 365.8m hit at 2g/t.
The stunningly thick slice confirmed a 60m extension to the south-east, taking the high-grade mineralisation to 150m at the southern end of the deposit and 600m in total. The company is presently awaiting assay results from recently completed drillholes at Medenovac, Shanac and its Kotlovi prospect.
If management can prove through further drilling that deep porphyry-style mineral systems exist within Rogozna, it could be a case of Strickland having only scratched the surface of a group of potential monster deposits.
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By Craig Nolan
