Middle Island Resources Limited (ASX: MDI) has completed the first phase of its 2020 drilling campaign at the Sandstone gold project in the central goldfields of Western Australia in the best way possible – with its fifth new gold zone find.
The fifth new BIF-hosted satellite gold deposit (known as Ridge) has been identified in final results from this year’s initial 2020 13,400m Phase 1 RC drilling programme with the highly successful campaign resulting in a significantly expanded Phase 2 programme at Sandstone, scheduled to commence next week.
I am pleased to finally be able to report the remaining results from what has proved an extremely successful first half of an extended drilling campaign at Sandstone, Middle Island Managing Director, Rick Yeates, said.
“While largely consistent with the prior drill intercepts, the new Shillington results are likely to lead to an increase in Mineral Resources and a reclassification of the limited remaining Inferred material to an Indicated category. Identification of a possible southeast extension to the deposit, which will be assessed as part of the Phase 2 RC drilling, provides further upside.
“Despite the absence of significant new RC drilling results from the Ridge prospect, geological mapping and outstanding drilling results derived from the cluster of BIF-hosted deposits in this area are a clear highlight of the drilling campaign to date.
“An understanding of drilling results in the context of a revised geology model, suggests the resource potential of this deposit cluster could ultimately be very significant. As such, a substantial portion of the planned Phase 2 RC and diamond drilling will be dedicated to this area.
“What will almost certainly prove to be an extremely exciting and expanded Phase 2 RC drilling program is scheduled to commence late next week, and I look forward to sharing the details, progress and results of this program with you during June and July.”
The company is undertaking four planned programmes at Sandstone that collectively comprise a campaign totalling at least 17,300m of exploration and resource definition drilling.
The Phase 1 RC programme, exclusively focussed on open pit targets at Sandstone, has tested some 14 gold deposits and prospects, all within 4km of the company’s 100%-owned gold processing plant and the majority on permitted Mining Leases.
The latest results come from drilling at the Shillington deposit (13 holes; 1,440m), Goat Farm deposit (21 holes; 1,275m), Ridge prospect (four holes; 342m), and 4m composite assay results from the G2 and G3 gravity targets (seven holes; 876m).
Better intercepts at the Shillington deposit included 10m at 3.02g/t from 121m, 8m at 4.48g/t from 45m & 83m and 4m at 3.32g/t Au from 21m. A solitary RC hole was also completed on a new section to the south of the Shillington deposit, returning new intercepts of 2m at 1.92g/t and 3m at 6.86g/t Au from 62m and 67m respectively.
Recent MDI mapping, a geophysical review and reassessment of drilling results has identified mineralised BIF and metasediments at the Ridge prospect, including historic intercepts of 13m at 3.81g/t, 8m at 4.14g/t, 5m at 3.81g/t, 9m at 2.21g/t and 3m @ 8.77g/t Au.
The Ridge prospect is consistently mineralisation over a 225m strike length, representing a fifth new deposit to be identified at the Sandstone gold project.
Recent geological mapping, in conjunction with a review of previous drilling and airborne magnetic data, has identified a highly prospective 1.15km target horizon that extends beneath cover, to the northwest along the Shillington BIF package, from the northern-most RC drill hole at the Ridge Prospect (3m at 8.77g/t Au) to the southern-most RC drill hole at Shillington (3m at 6.86g/t Au). No recent or historic drilling has been completed along this entire target horizon, which is veneered by superficial transported cover.
Middle Island intends to commence testing of this target horizon via extensional drilling at both deposits in the Phase 2 programme.
