Kalamazoo Resources (ASX: KZR) has received initial assays from drilling at the Ashburton gold project in Western Australia’s Pilbara with the program unearthing numerous high and medium grade intersections beneath the historic Waugh pit.
Drilling at Ashburton comprised 5,718m and prioritised Waugh and Connie’s Find prospects, while Peake and Peake West were also targeted.
As part of the program’s strategy, drilling tested down plunge mineralisation beneath the Waugh pit, with assays revealing mineralisation exists beneath the pit and remains open in multiple directions.
Highlight assays from Waugh were 9m at 5.52 grams per tonne gold from 148m, including 1m at 22.1g/t gold; 9m at 4.03g/t gold from 157m, including 1m at 17.8g/t gold; and 7m at 4.25g/t gold from 68m, including 3m at 7.99g/t gold from 68m.
Kalamazoo director and Ashburton project manager Paul Adams said the company was “very pleased” with the first results of its Ashburton drilling campaign.
“Our strategy once we acquired the project from Northern Star (ASX: NST) was to implement the right program that would see us substantially expand the gold resource to in excess of 2 million ounces and to further advance development plans.”
“This initial drilling at Waugh has now identified thick intersections of moderate to high-grade gold, which provides us with great confidence that we will indeed deliver on our strategy for adding additional ounces under and along strike of the five existing pits, and across the greater project,” Mr Adams said.
Ashburton gold project
Kalamazoo revealed it was acquiring Ashburton from Northern Star in June last year and bedded ownership of the project a few months later in August.
Sipa Resources (ASX: SRI) mined at Ashburton between 1998 and 2004 – producing 350,000 ounces of gold at 3.3g/t.
Of that, 67,000oz was produced from the Waugh pit with an average grade of 6g/t.
Ashburton’s resource currently totals 1.65Moz of contained gold, with the Waugh deposit hosting 68,000oz at 3.6g/t gold.
Further drilling planned at Waugh
Kalamazoo noted follow up drill plans for Waugh were “well advanced”.
In the upcoming program, Kalamazoo will test along strike and within the poorly explored areas at the base of the pit.
The aim is to “substantially increase” the oxide resource.
This round of drilling will begin in the June quarter and will also follow up on historical intercepts and surface anomalies at other prospects including Peake.
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