Warriedar Resources (ASX: WA8) has obtained promising assay results from drilling at the Ricciardo deposit within its Golden Range Project located in the Murchison region of Western Australia.
The results have confirmed the presence of high-grade shoots below existing oxide open pits and demonstrates the excellent exploration potential for further discoveries at Ricciardo.
“We are very pleased with the results from this first batch of assays from the growth-focussed 2024 drilling programme at Ricciardo,” Managing Director and CEO, Dr Amanda Buckingham, said.
“The results demonstrate the excellent potential to expand the Mineral Resource at Ricciardo, which has a strike length of 2.3km with high-grade gold mineralisation occurring at numerous locations along the trend.
“With further assays pending, and follow-up drilling planned to commence from next quarter, we are excited as to what our exploration activities at Ricciardo can deliver for Warriedar this year.”
Robust high-grade extensions
21 holes have been drilled at Ricciardo during 2024 for 3,500m of drilling. This drilling was targeted to significantly extend the Ricciardo Mineral Resource boundaries at depth and along strike. The results released today have been able to achieve both goals.
Assay results have now been received for 13 holes drilled at Ricciardo. All 13 holes have returned significant gold intercepts.
The results have identified two additional high grade gold shoots within existing mineralisation as well as significant down-dip extension of the known mineralisation below the historic Silverstone and Silverstone South open pits. These results demonstrate the high-grade growth potential beneath Ricciardo both along strike and down dip of all five historic pits (Eastern Creek, Silverstone South, Silverstone (Copse), Ardmore, and Silverstone North).
The Ricciardo deposit has a current Mineral Resource estimate of 8.7 Mt @ 1.7 g/t Au for 476 koz gold (6 koz Measured, 203 koz Indicated, 267 koz Inferred). The oxide material at Ricciardo (extending to 45 - 60m depth) has previously been mined across two separate phases.
The Ricciardo gold system spans a strike length of approximately 2.3km, with very limited drilling having been undertaken below 100m depth.
The high-grade shoots comprising the Ricciardo mineralisation remain open both at depth and along strike. As a result of the strong growth potential (and its existing scale and grade), Ricciardo is a key focus area for Warriedar this year. Follow-up drilling at Ricciardo is planned from Q2 CY2024.