Kalamazoo Resources confirms regional exploration potential outside Ashburton gold project
Assays received from drilling at the Ashburton gold project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region have confirmed significant regional exploration potential for owner Kalamazoo Resources (ASX: KZR).
The results came from 18 reverse circulation and 70 aircore holes completed during last year’s phase two program, which focused on greenfields prospects at Annie Oakley, Petra, St Helens, Triple M and Mae West.
They support the company’s strategy of making new and significant oxide and sulphide gold discoveries outside of Ashburton’s known 1.65-million-ounce mineral resource.
Moderate-grade intercepts
At Annie Oakley – which is located approximately 800 metres north-west of the historic Waugh pit – 12 shallow holes produced a set of “highly encouraging” moderate-grade intercepts contained within broad zones of gold anomalism.
Best results included 4m at 2.67 grams per tonne gold from 17m, 2m at 4.09g/t gold from 57m and 3m at 1.63g/t gold from 37m.
They support previous intercepts of 8m at 3.56g/t gold from surface, 7m at 2.07g/t gold from surface, and 2m at 9.49g/t including 1m at 17.85g/t gold from 40m.
Kalamazoo said the early-stage results are strongly analogous to high-grade mineralisation observed at Waugh and there exists “great potential” for a new shallow oxide gold resource discovery at the prospect.
Untested prospect
Drilling at the largely untested Petra prospect discovered an anomaly measuring more than 500m in width and grading more than 10 parts per billion gold within the major northwest-striking fault corridor which hosts the Mt Olympus and Zeus deposits.
Kalamazoo said Petra remains a “high priority target” with the hallmarks of being a significant deposit similar to the Carlin discovery in Nevada, US.
The prospect will be the focus of further investigation and drilling during the year.
Encouraging anomalism
A program of 57 aircore holes for a total 3,901m at St Helens intersected “encouraging” gold anomalism proximal to the West Olympus deposit, which has a resource of 1.08Moz at 2.2g/t gold.
Best results were 6m at 2.2g/t gold from 93m including 1m at 4.22g/t gold from 96m, and 4m at 1.46g/t gold from 76m.
Kalamazoo said the intersections will be the subject of further review during the year.
Triple M and Mae West
Two reverse circulation holes drilled at the Triple M prospect tested a 600m-long soil gold anomaly with minor low level gold anomalism intersected in both holes.
Three holes at Mae West failed to intersect any significant gold mineralisation.
The company said further multi-element geochemical investigations of drill pulp samples have been planned to assist in the continued evaluation of both prospects.