Middle Island Resources (ASX: MDI) has confirmed a large and coherent gold system is emerging at the Zabrnjica target within its Priboj project in Serbia, in an area previously subject to no recorded modern gold exploration.
The broad gold-in-soil anomaly is hosted in highly-altered, quartz-veined sediments within a geological setting and alteration style consistent with large-scale, replacement-style gold systems.
An infill soil sampling program comprising 146 samples reinforced the anomaly with new assay results as high as 38 parts per billion gold, and defined a central gold anomaly of more than 10ppb extending across an area measuring 600 metres long by 200m wide.
Concurrently, 14 rock chip samples returned assays of up to 0.68 grams per tonne gold (in outcrop) and 1.91g/t (in float) in altered and variably quartz-veined sediments.
RC Drilling Campaign Planned
Middle Island is now planning an initial five-hole reverse circulation drilling program to test the highly altered gold mineralised sediments in the Zabrnjica area.
Drilling is scheduled for completion during the current field season, subject to land access approvals.
The company is also planning a program of copper-focused exploration at the adjacent Priboj and Jermovac licences that will include an initial three-hole reverse circulation campaign at the Jelaca prospect targeting volcanogenic massive sulphide-style mineralisation within a +200ppm anomaly where outcropping rock chip samples assayed up to 10.3% copper.
Infill soil sampling will be conducted across the Jermovac licence, where initial wide-spaced soil lines returned individual assays of up to 5,054ppm copper, while further soil sampling at Jermovac will be subject to statutory renewal of the licence for a second three-year term.
Highly Compelling New Target
Chief executive officer Peter Spiers said the latest exploration results represented another highly compelling new drill target at Priboj.
“These results reinforce our view that this previously unexplored area has genuine potential to host a large-scale replacement-style gold system,” he said.
“These systems […] often present as very large gold systems, such as the multi-million-ounce Donlin Creek gold deposit in Alaska.”
“Priboj remains largely under-explored, offering meaningful first-mover discovery potential within a highly-prospective mineral belt—our focus is on disciplined exploration to unlock value and position Middle Island for potentially transformative discoveries.”
