ASX-listed gold hopeful, Zuleika Gold has weathered disruptions due to unseasonal heavy rain and punched out 115 aircore holes for a total drilling coverage of 6,779 metres at the Paradigm East and Browns Dam prospects at its Zuleika gold project in WA. The holes are part of a recently launched 30,000m-plus aircore and RC drilling blitz at the project near Kalgoorlie.
The Zuleika project area spans approximately 230 square kilometres and straddles more than 20km of the region’s famed Zuleika Shear, which plays host to several historic and current operating gold mines that have produced approximately 20 million ounces over time.
Zuleika’s extensive ground holdings sit in one of the most coveted fertile gold terranes on the planet and the company’s envious exploration real estate neighbours some of the big names such as Northern Star Resources and Evolution Mining.
Mines in the vicinity of Zuleika’s project include Northern Star’s Kundana and Paradigm mines, the East Kundana joint venture owned by Northern Star, Tribune Resources and Rand Mining and Evolution’s Frog’s Leg and White Foil mines.
According to Zuleika, the 45km-long gold-bearing shear in the world-class Eastern Goldfields remains highly prospective for further gold discoveries.
The company says the aircore program involves drilling holes up to 3m into fresh rock in order to refine anomalous targets for follow-up RC drilling. Drill core samples from the Paradigm East and Browns Dam prospects are currently being processed at an assay laboratory.
Zuleika Gold Managing Director, Annie Guo said: “To date even with significant disruptions due to heavy unseasonal rains, we have completed 115 aircore holes. Aircore drilling will continue on the Little T, Carnage and Breakaway Dam prospects and follow-up RC drilling will be undertaken following compilation and evaluation of the aircore results.”
“Logging of the aircore chips for the first 6,779m (of drilling) showed encouraging lithologies and geological intersections consistent with typical zones of interest along the (Zuleika) shear.”
According to the company, the Paradigm East aircore drill program comprising 68 holes totalling 3,800m was aimed at testing both the secondary structures in the immediate vicinity of the prospect and the continuity of mineralisation over a 2.4-kilometre strike along its prospective auriferous structural corridor.
Some of the holes were designed to infill the high-grade gold zones encountered in Zuleika’s initial 25-hole round of aircore drilling last year and were set at 40m-80m spacings. Zones of quartz veining and alteration have already been observed in those holes according to the company.
Notable previous aircore intercepts from the first-pass drill program were 24m at an average grade of 6.4 grams per tonne gold from 28m including 4m at 34.7 g/t from 32m and 8m at 2.2 g/t from 48m including 4m at 3.3 g/t gold from 48m.
Zuleika says the drilling at Browns Dam, which consisted of 47 holes for 2,979m, intersected mafic and ultramafic basement rocks and also pointed to some promising quartz veining and alteration.
The drilling pattern was designed to follow up on the discovery made in the area last year that returned an intersection of 5m going 3.1 g/t gold from 38m depth.
The gold junior hopes the latest drilling will help expand and delineate the controls on the mineralisation at Browns Dam.
Following receipt and assessment of the assay results from the aircore drilling, Zuleika says it intends infilling areas of interest with RC drilling as part of the serious 30,000m campaign.
If there is something there, 30,000m of drilling should find it.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
