Near surface gold being targeted by Alderan Resources at Utah project
ssays from the Mizpah drilling program are expected early in the December quarter.
US-focused explorer Alderan Resources (ASX: AL8) has reported that all 22 holes at its Mizpah deposit in Utah traversed near surface oxidised, transition and primary sulphide bearing sediments.
The program was a follow-up to drilling between 1984 and 1989, which back then returned intersections of 10.7m at 2.2 grams per tonne gold (from surface), 9.2m at 2.1g/t gold (from 3m down hole) and 12.2m at 1.7g/t gold (from surface).
Mizpah is located 2km from Alderan’s key project, the historical Drum gold mine, which produced 125,000oz at 1.2g/t up until 1989 from the same rock units.
Both are within the company’s wider Detroit project area.
Holes drilled under budget, ahead of schedule
Alderan managing director Scott Caithness said drill samples have been sent off for analysis and initial gold assays are expected early in the next quarter.
“The Mizpah reverse circulation drilling was successfully completed in under three weeks which has proved a very efficient and cost-effective program for the company,” he added.
The drill program was also carried out under budget and ahead of schedule.
In addition to the Mizpah program, Alderan re-drilled one Drum hole 150m down dip of the Drum West Pit to test hear a historical hole that had returned 15.2 at 4.5g/t.
That hole intersected 0.42g/t in the waste dump at the top of the hole and 5.9m at 1.2g/t at the bottom of the hole but did not reach target depth.
Alderan’s first attempt at drilling of that hole (in April) was abandoned before reaching its target depth due to drill rods being lost down hole. This time it successfully reached a depth of 130m.
‘Well above’ cut-off grade for heap leach
The 22 holes totalled 1,797m and were targeting near surface oxide gold mineralisation.
The historical holes at Mizpah were drilled to an average depth of only 28m and, did not evaluate the potential from primary gold mineralisation below the oxide zone.
“There are 40 historical holes which have final assays grading more than 0.5g/t, well above the cut-off grade for oxide heap leach gold deposits in that USA,” the company noted.