Terrain Minerals has used an induced polarisation (IP) survey to help lock in two priority gold-drilling targets under shallow cover at its wholly-owned Smokebush project, 350km north of Perth in WA’s Mid West region. The two previously unknown, but seemingly drill-worthy, IP anomalies have been identified near existing gold prospects.
At the company’s Hurley prospect, it found a 400m long IP anomaly near previous results which included a 5m hit grading 6.1 grams per tonne gold from 55m and 10m going 1.4 g/t gold from 15m downhole, with potential at depth and along strike. Near its Paradise City prospect, Terrain also located a 600m long IP anomaly where previous drill results included 3m at 2.17 g/t gold from 10m.
Terrain moved to secure full ownership of the Smokebush tenements last year, following promising gold and lithium exploration results. The project is located 65km west of Paynes Find in the Yalgoo mineral field, which also hosts gold mines such as Deflector, the adjacent Mount Mulgine tungsten project and polymetallic base metal mines such as Golden Grove.
Terrain’s Smokebush project adjoins Mount Mulgine, where a 259-million-tonne resource contains 1 million ounces of gold, 44 million ounces of silver, 290,000t of tungsten oxide, 71,000t of molybdenum and 92,000t of copper. Mount Mulgine granite is associated with intense hydrothermal alteration with late-stage fluids containing tungsten, molybdenum, gold, silver, bismuth and fluorite.
Terrain has completed the initial IP survey at Hurley and Paradise City and is pursuing further assessment at its Monza prospect. The company also plans to immediately conduct more detailed survey work at the two new IP drill targets. That would help develop a three-dimensional model which would aid new drill-targeting at both the Hurley and Paradise City prospects, where drilling permits are already in place.
The company recently identified and sampled more than 20 pegmatite rock outcrops at Smokebush, which sits within the so-called lithium “Goldilocks Zone” adjacent to the granite intrusion. Lithium assays are expected to be returned within three weeks.
Petrographic examination reported possible lithium-bearing lepidolite mineralisation, prompting the company to appoint an expert in lithium-bearing pegmatites to a conduct field inspection and guide it to assess the ground’s potential.
Additionally, soil sampling has been completed at its Larin’s Lane prospect, with 834 samples submitted for a multi-element laboratory assay. At the Larin’s Lane gold target, a 4.5km long by 200-300m wide untested and undercover greenstone rock unit is wedged between two granites.
Terrain also conducted mapping and sampling of its Wild-viper gold project last month, with assay results still to come.
IP surveys have a credible history of detecting sulphide-bearing gold mineralisation within the Yalgoo mineral province. With drilling planned for the third quarter of this year to follow up Terrain’s survey results, it has high hopes of continuing the trend.
A 1921 WA geological survey suggests evidence of mineralisation in the Yalgoo Goldfield dates back to 1900. It says that by the end of 1917, there were 34 gold-mining leases in force across 205 hectares.
To the end of that same year, there had been more than 11,200 ounces of fine gold returned. Cheekily, the authors admitted the survey had been hampered by “the want of reliable maps”.
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