Xantippe Resources (ASX: XTC) is testing a range targets with a new drilling that is underway at its Southern Cross Gold Project in Western Australia.
The drilling campaign will consist of up to 12 reverse circulation (RC) holes, with a total meterage to be determined.
The drill programme has been designed to test along strike from the previously drilled holes at the Glendower and Xantippe prospects, which have generated encouraging gold intersections.
The programme will also expand on the known mineralised zones at Boodarding, as well as uncover new targets along strike of the Axehandle and Cornishman mines “Axehead”.
Managing Director Richard Henning said the company will also test the new Battlers North prospect.
This programme is as extension of the previous drilling that identified broad mineralised zones. Further, we have now established access to a previously undrilled area at Axehead, an area identified from airborne magnetics,” Mr Henning said.
“Xantippe has one of the largest footprints in the Southern Cross area. This project area consists of approximately 175km2 of consolidated tenure and the exploration plan will use a systematic approach to unlock a number of key targets.”
The maiden Axehead drilling program will target lithologies and structures that are known to host mineralisation at the Axehandle and Cornishman mines. The structures and lithology have been interpreted from high‐resolution magnetic data and are supported by encouraging shallow RAB drill results in the vicinity. Five holes for 750m are to be drilled at the convergence of a previously untested structural flexure and fault located along strike of the Cornishmen / Frasers shear zone.
At the Boodarding prospect, encouraging RAB and diamond results by previous explorers are supported by new geophysical interpretation of the folded metasediments and ultramafic rocks between the Ghooli and Parker granitic domes. Three holes have been planned here for 450m to test a structural dislocation in the vicinity of the historic drill results. The drilling programme at Boodarding is scheduled for the first week of January.
XTC will also resume exploration of structures at the Xantippe prospect, in an area at the centre of its holdings, with the strategy being to target mineralisation along strike to the north from previously drilled hole XAN4 (24m @ 0.30g/t Au and 4m @ 1.07g/t Au) where mineralisation was noted to be associated with a pegmatite metasediment contact.
Finally, at the Battler North prospect drilling will target similar structural orientations noted at the Battler Mine to the south where mineralisation is primarily located on a structure orientated WNW‐ ESE that cuts the regional NW‐SE trend.
As a result of soil sampling one can see a repetition of this signature at the Battler North target in this orientation with about 300m of prospective strike noted along this trend.
