Xantippe Resources Limited (ASX: XTC) has received positive assay results returned from fire assay analysis of reverse circulation (RC) drilling recently completed over a number of prospects in Western Australia.
The results continue to define the mineralisation present across a number of prospects in the Southern Cross Gold Project and have generated new targets for ongoing exploration.
The assays identified numerous anomalous gold intercepts across the project including 1m at 8.81 g/t Au, upgraded to 16.2 g/t Au from 7m at the Great Unknown Prospect.
The small drill programme completed at the Great Unknown prospect on tenement E77/2367, south of Glendower Prospect, returned a number of positive single metre fire assay results. The programme was designed to test historical drill results that targeted a shear or fault zone contact between pelite and mafic schists and is closely associated with a cross cutting (D4) dyke revealed by geophysical surveys.
The high grade 8.81g/t Au result, upgraded to 16.2g/t Au from the replicate sample and 13.8g/t Au from a secondary split during lab preparation, has highlighted the undeveloped potential of quartz veins hosting gold in the area and remains a target area of interest to the company.
The Great Unknown prospect is less than 1km from the Lenneberg open pit gold operation (operated by Hanking) and on strike to Xantippe’s Glendower prospect.
Elsewhere, positive assay results received from Battler North confirmed shallow anomalous gold mineralisation with intersections of 4m at 1.85g/t Au and 3m at 1.31g/t Au.
Management says the Battler North prospect remains an area of interest to Xantippe with its proximity along strike to the Battler Mine site, favourable geology and presence of anomalous gold. Structural interpretation and target generation at the prospect is ongoing.
Meanwhile, mineralisation at the Xantippe Prospect, P77/4365, has continued to the north with drill holes XAN_007 and XAN_008 returning anomalous gold in fire assay splits. Analysis of all recent drilling undertaken by Xantippe shows gold mineralisation continuing with a total strike length of approximately 500m in the favourable greenstone terrane.
The furthest north hole drilled by Xantippe, XAN_008, returned fire assay gold results including 1m at 3.17g/t Au and 3m at 1.33g/t Au in amongst a 31m intersection of anomalous gold (greater than 0.1g/t). This sizeable intersection remains open to the north and at depth.
The pegmatite contact has been intercepted in the majority of the holes drilled by Xantippe and is seen to run along the western boundary of the tenement with gold mineralisation generally forming on the footwall of the contact.
The mineralisation intercepted is less than 100m from surface and remains open to test its potential not only at depth but also along strike further to the North as seen in Figures 5 and 6 below. The Xantippe prospect remains a high priority target for further exploration drilling.
Historic drilling and recently drilled XAN_007 show some mineralisation in the pegmatite which needs to be investigated further.