Anglo Australian more than doubles mineralised footprint at Mandilla gold discovery

Anglo Australian Resources (ASX: AAR) reported that recent reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling has “significantly” expanded the mineralised footprint at the company’s 100%-owned Mandilla gold project, 70km south of Kalgoorlie.

With more than 9,000m of drilling already completed and another 13,000m to come, the mineralised footprint of the discovery — compared with what was known just three months ago — has more than doubled in size and still remains open to the north and south.

Managing director Marc Ducler described the work as the “most significant drill program undertaken at the Mandilla gold project targeting mineralisation within the Mandilla Syenite [an igneous rock composed chiefly of feldspar]”.

“The strong results support our view that there is a significant low strip, open pit opportunity,” he added. “The recently completed DroneMag survey is also providing excitement with a number of anomalies to be followed up.”

That high-resolution drone magnetic survey has highlighted new areas of low magnetic response which Anglo Australia will drill test.

Extension drilling continues to deliver results

The details of the extensions undertaken by the latest drilling program have unveiled the potential for enlarging the known mineralised area.

Three holes demonstrated strike extensions of more than 300m to the south of Mandilla East and returned intercepts shallower than 85m. They were 26m at 8.29 grams per tonne gold from 76m; 21m at 3.7g/t from 35m; and a third hole which intersected two gold zones: 17m at 3.71g/t from 59m plus 19m at 0.55g/t from 83m.

Strike extensions of more than 250m to the north of Mandilla East included one hole returning 9m at 5.89g/t from 76m, and two other holes striking gold at 34m and 38m respectively.

At Mandilla South, 1km from Mandilla East, the drill rig hit two holes both with two gold zones. In MDRC130, the assays returned 27m at 1.79g/t plus 10m at 1.76g/t, while hole MDRC220 hit 16m at 1.65g/t plus a separate 31m at 0.53g/t.

Infill diamond drill gold results included a hole striking three zones: 7.95g/t at 8.31g/t from 163.1m, plus 18.25m at 0.76g/t from 189.55m, and 24.1m at 2.11g/t from 216.35m.

Drilling continuing, more to begin in July

A further 3,000m of diamond drilling is now underway and a further 10,000m of RC drilling will begin next month.

The Mandilla project is situated in the gold and nickel rich Widgiemooltha greenstone belt in the western part of the Kalgoorlie geological domain, 60km south of the township.

The project lies on the western margin of a porphyritic granitic intrusion known as the Mandilla Syenite.

It intrudes volcanoclastic sedimentary rocks in the project area which form part of the Spargoville Group of prospects between Spargoville and Widgiemooltha.

The Mandilla project is covered by existing mining leases. In 2006-07, Anglo Australian mined about 23,000oz of gold at an average 7.5g/t from two pits with a depth of less than 20m at Mandilla West.