Mining

Aurumin launches drilling campaign at historic Mt Palmer gold project

Go to Imelda Cotton author's page
By Imelda Cotton - 
Aurumin ASX AUN Mt Palmer gold

Aurumin’s 29-hole drilling program will test for remnant extensions north and south of the historic WA gold mine.

Copied

Exploration company Aurumin (ASX: AUN) has launched a reverse circulation drilling campaign at its wholly-owned Mt Palmer gold project, 40km from the town of Southern Cross in Western Australia.

The company has contracted Kalgoorlie-based Redrock Drilling to complete 29 holes for a total 2,500m, testing for remnant extensions north and south of the historic mine as well as extensions to specific lodes in the mine’s vicinity.

Aurumin managing director Brad Valiukas said the program follows a period of reviewing the options for re-starting Mt Palmer.

“We have done what we can from the historical records, and it is now time to start putting holes in the ground and generating new data,” he said.

Second project

Mt Palmer is Aurumin’s second project with a history of high-grade production, having produced approximately 158,000 ounces of gold at 15.9 grams per tonne in its 10-year life before ceasing commercial operations in 1944.

Production was considered greater and richer than output from the historic Mt Dimer project nearby, where Aurumin commenced a 5,000m reverse circulation program in March.

That work is focusing on the previously-unmined Lightning prospect where first strong assays reported this month included grades of 12.35g/t, 15.35g/t and 36.2g/t gold.

High-grade deposit

The Mt Palmer high-grade deposit is located within the central area of the Southern Cross greenstone belt.

Gold mineralisation was historically found within five quartz reefs at the Main, East, West, New and Egan’s lodes, within amphibolite facies quartz-biotite schists.

The individual lodes are believed to be over a strike length of 200m and to depths of 155m from the surface, with most of the past production coming from Main and East.

Mining records indicate high-grade shoots were developed within stratabound veins on the limbs and closures of pre-existing folds.

The Main, East, West and New lodes were accessed from the main shaft while Egan’s was mined from a separate shaft to the north.