Legacy Minerals reports visible gold in maiden drilling at Harden project
The drill core containing visible gold was designed to test for gold surrounding an historically mined orebody.
Visible gold has been observed in several drill chips recovered during the maiden drilling program by Legacy Minerals (ASX: LGM) at its Harden project in New South Wales.
The drill hole with the visible gold was designed to test for gold surrounding the historic Harden gold mine.
That mine was the largest in the Harden region and, up until 1919, produced about 55,000oz at an average 21.7 grams per tonne.
It is located the Lachlan Fold Belt which runs through much of central NSW and into Victoria.
Legacy is conducting the first test of the fresh rock mineralisation at the old mine site.
The company has previously stated that, due to poor outcrop in the region and a relative lack of systematic geochemical and geophysical exploration in the area, it considers there is “great” potential to further define regional drill targets.
Strike from old mine extended to 1.4km
In all, 1,900m of drilling is planned, with so far five of the 12 planned holes completed.
Also, field reconnaissance has extended the interpreted strike of the historic mine workings from 900m to 1.4km.
Dipole-dipole induced polarisation (DD-IP) has been complied along that 1.4km of strike — the first time IP has been carried out on this ground.
The Harden project encompasses several historical high-grade gold mines in a mineral district that produced about 460,000oz of gold from alluvial and hard rock mining.
There are two main strikes of mine in the tenement area – the historical Harden gold mine corridor and McMahons Reef gold mine corridor.
Looking for unmined gold in quartz veining
Legacy has noted that the project “presents an advanced-stage brownfields exploration opportunity”.
Historical high-grade drill intersects at the Harden mine area returned a best intercept of 3m at 10.5g/t gold from 20m and at the southern McMahons Reef gold mine 3.6m at 21.7g/t gold from 115m.
Historical records from pre-1919 work indicate a mined cut-off grade of 13g/t gold, which Legacy believes there may be economic concentrations of unmined gold in quartz veining.
Drill holes have been planned to test within the mined and unmined stope areas, down-dip and down-plunge of the old mine, and along strike on the Harden corridor.