Lion One Metals Limited (ASX: LLO) has discovered Tuvatu style lodes at Banana Creek, approximately 3 km northeast of the Tuvatu resource in Fiji.
Banana Creek is a new, high-priority greenfields target situated within Lion One’s recently granted Navilawa tenement, part of its 100% controlled Tuvatu alkaline gold project, Fiji.
Drill rig #1 recently completed two diamond drill holes at Tuvatu West and has now resumed deep drilling under the main Tuvatu lode system. Rig #2 has initiated drilling new targets within the Navilawa license area.
Hole TUDDH496, inclined at -55 degrees, encountered numerous mineralised intervals between 72.10 and 312.66 m, the most significant of which include 0.73 m grading 6.86 g/t Au beginning at 267.20 m and 1.8 m grading 6.41 g/t Au.
Hole TUDDH497, drilled from the same pad at a somewhat steeper inclination of -62 degrees, similarly encountered numerous mineralised intervals between 31.00 and 417.60 m, the most significant of which include 3.00 m grading 6.19 g/t Au beginning at 304.50 m and 1.27 m grading 4.41 g/t Au beginning at 357.63 m.
Given the broad distribution of numerous mineralised structures in these holes, Lion One believes these intercepts are a high level expression of a deeper gold system underlying this area.
Further drilling is needed at a deeper level, perhaps 200 meters vertically below these intercepts to determine how these multiple mineralised structures might come together into a feeder zone.
Crews in Fiji are finding new outcropping lodes daily at Banana Creek and surrounding areas as they open up roadcuts and trenches,” Quinton Hennigh, technical advisor to Lion One said.
“Many of these are generating high-grade assays and appear similar to gold lodes seen at Tuvatu nearly three km to the southwest.
“We are now seeing a steady stream of assays come in from these new areas and we expect many more over coming months.
“Drill targets are quickly emerging at Navilawa. Two holes at Tuvatu West appear to have encountered high level splay structures, possibly above a deeper feeder structure.
We plan more drilling at a deeper level in this area later this year. Meanwhile our Tuvatu step-out and feeder drill program continues. This is shaping up to be a busy, exciting year.”
Lion One currently has two rigs drilling in Fiji with a third recently purchased and on its way from South Korea.
Rig #1 has been moved to the pad on which deep hole TUDDH495 is situated.
Diamond drill rig #2 recently commenced drilling new targets within the Navilawa tenement. Biliwi, where high-grade samples were collected early in 2020.