Dreadnought Resources (ASX: DRE) has announced the recommencement of a low impact auger sampling program at its Tarraji-Yampi project in Western Australia.
It is an extension of an initial auger program completed earlier this year, which revealed nine high-quality targets with similar geochemical signatures to the high-grade copper-silver-gold-cobalt-zinc Orion discovery made in 2021. Of the nine look-a-likes, six new gossanous and mineralised outcrops were identified.
This expanded program expects to define further drill targets for reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling to commence in the 2023 field season.
Dreadnought said it will take about two months to conduct the program of about 3,000 samples, with assays expected to return in December and January.
The hunt for Orion look-a-likes
The auger program is designed to sample through the thin and geochemically inert black soil plains adding a baseline geochemical dataset to generate targets under shallow cover that are similar to Orion.
The Orion discovery made last year returned 16m at 2.2% copper, 38.7 grams per tonne silver, 6.6g/t gold and 0.4% cobalt from 77m. Highlights from the initial auger program, which ran from April to June, were 37% copper, 163g/t silver, 1g/t gold and 0.03% cobalt.
Dreadnought managing director Dean Tuck said the company is excited to be recommencing the expanded program given its initial success.
“The ability to sample through the black soils plains and generate the first ever geochemical dataset combined with our modern geophysical datasets will deliver a pipeline of robust copper-silver-gold-cobalt targets in our hunt to discover the critical metals required for our future,” he said.
Exploration in 2023
Assay results from this 3,000-sample program are expected throughout December to January.
Trial induced polarisation (IP)/resistivity surveys will be conducted in March or April 2023, as well as fixed loop electromagnetic (FLEM) surveys on targets that have not already been FLEM surveyed. These include Ironclad, OR1, OR2, OR5, OR6, Thunderer, Vanguard and others to be generated.
RC and diamond drilling is then expected to begin in the 2023 field season.
