Mining

Golden Deeps moves ahead with Lachlan Fold Belt exploration campaign

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By Danica Cullinane - 
Golden Deeps ASX GED placement Lachlan Fold Belt acquisitions silver gold

Golden Deeps aims to raise a minimum of $1.5 million to test geophysical and geochemical anomalies at its newly acquired NSW projects.

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Junior explorer Golden Deeps (ASX: GED) is advancing exploration plans for its recently acquired Lachlan Fold Belt projects in New South Wales following positive talks with landholders about drilling at Tuckers Hill.

The company today provided an update on its plans for the Tuckers Hill and Havilah projects, which were scooped up in the prolific mineralised region in May. It also reported on recent activity at its copper projects in Namibia, southern Africa.

Proposed work includes a maiden diamond drilling campaign at Tuckers Hill and soil sampling and geological mapping to be completed at Havilah.

Tuckers Hill project

The Tuckers Hill project is located at the northern end of Peak Minerals’ 501,000-ounce Hill End gold project and surrounds the Hargraves goldfield near Mudgee, NSW.

The Tuckers Hill exploration licence is still under application, but Golden Deeps said positive discussions have been held with landholders in the area to gain approval to start fieldwork once the tenement is granted.

Previous exploration data combined with the re-imaging of aeromagnetic data has identified five mineralised trends, the priority targets being the Tuckers Hill and Maitlands trends where sampling of historic workings and quartz veins returned high-grade gold values including a peak grade of 28 grams per tonne gold.

A diamond drilling program is now planned to test for these high-grade gold veins within the Tuckers Hill anticline. No previous drilling has been conducted here.

Havilah project

The Havilah project, a granted exploration licence, also lies near Hill End as well as adjoins the southern boundary of Silver Mines’ (ASX: SVL) Bowdens silver project.

In late August, Golden Deeps said the reprocessing and reimaging of aeromagnetic data had generated a 3km mineralised trend that runs into Silver Mines’ ground and is considered prospective for gold, silver and copper.

The company said landholders have been contacted to arrange access for a soil sampling program and geological mapping. Pending results, it then aims to embark on a drilling program to test priority targets.

Namibia exploration

In Namibia, a study is currently on track to generate drill targets at the Khusib Springs copper-silver mine, which ceased production in 2004 due to the low copper price and the depletion of high-grade ore.

The deposit is estimated to contain about 300,000 tonnes of ore grading 10% copper, 1.8% lead and 584g/t silver.

The study aims to delineate remnant copper mineralisation and potential strike/plunge extensions to the deposit. Drilling is then planned to test any identified targets.

Meanwhile, fieldwork including soil sampling has begun on three new tenement applications near the Deblin copper mine in northern Namibia.