Perth-based Great Northern Minerals Limited (ASX:GPP) has received permission from the traditional owners at the Big Rush and Golden Cup/Camel Creek mines to commence drilling.
Managing Director Cameron McLean said an RC and diamond drill programme of 2,000 metres scheduled to commence in November at Big Rush and Golden Cup.
The new drilling campaign is being aimed at allowing for the estimation of a maiden JORC compliant mineral resource.
At Big Rush the drilling will consist of approximately 1,000 metres and will initially be confined to the Central Pit where drilling by the previous operator, extending over 900 metres of strike was of a standard and intensity that, with confirmatory drilling, GNM expects sufficient results to estimate a JORC compliant mineral resource.
Mr McLean said assays will be expected by mid-December and a resource estimate by the end of January.
Exploration drilling in 2020 will assess the Northern and Southern pits, plus the Western anomaly, which combined cover a strike length of approximately 2.5 km where mineralisation has been historically intersected in mostly shallow drilling.
Mr McLean said confirmatory drilling at Golden Cup is expected to be confined to several key test holes including some diamond drilling to collect detailed geological and metallurgical samples.
He said the previous drilling at Golden Cup is more recent than that at Big Rush and GNM expects that an initial JORC compliant mineral resource can be estimated with a minimal amount of drilling.
“There has only been two holes drilled deeper than 70m vertical at Golden Cup and there are strong indications that deeper drilling and drilling along strike and between the old pits may result in the intersection of further high-grade mineralisation,” Mr McLean said.
“The resource model once complete will help direct further drilling at Golden Cup in the 2020 exploration season.”
No systematic drilling is planned at Camel Creek this year but GNM, formerly known as Green Power Energy, may drill some orientation holes beneath the workings if time and weather permits. The Camel Creek gold mine is the largest of the mines held by GNM and has had continuous workings over 4km of strike.