Catalina Resources (ASX: CTN) has commenced aircore drilling at the Laverton Project in licence E38/3697 in WA.
The planned drilling programme comprises 25 aircore holes for approximately 1,500 m to test gold and REE targets.
Approximately 20 aircore holes will be drilled to test along strike from the Lily Pond Well Mineral Resource (340kt @ 1.4 g/t Au) that is hosted by the north-south trending Barnicoat Shear Zone. The shear zone traverses the southwest corner of EL38/3697 and is interpreted to link the Lily Pond Well with the Mon Ami (1.56Mt @ 1.1g/t Au) and Ida H (630kt @ 1.4 g/t Au) Mineral Resources to the north.
In addition, five holes will be drilled to test selected magnetic anomalies that were modelled by Southern Geoscience Consultants that represent possible REE bearing carbonatite intrusives.
Background
E38/3697 is an approximately 45 sq. km (15 sub-block tenement) located 20km southeast of Laverton within the Laverton Gold Province, an exceptionally well mineralised terrain in the Eastern Goldfields, Western Australia.
The region hosts several world class deposits of gold, nickel, and rare earth elements (REE) including Sunrise Dam (>10Moz Au), Wallaby (> 8Moz Au), Windara Nickel (combined 85kt nickel sulphide) and the Mt Weld REE deposit, one of the highest-grade rare-earth deposits in the world (Mineral Resource of 54.7 Mt @ 5.3% TREO).
A compilation and review of previous exploration and reimaging of the aeromagnetic data has identified gold, nickel and rare earth (REE) targets. A summary of the targets generated is listed below: