Oar Resources restarts drilling at Gibraltar to expand on high-grade halloysite discovery
Previous drilling at Gibraltar unearthed a 3m interval grading 20% halloysite and 42% kaolinite from 26m.
Oar Resources (ASX: OAR) has begun follow up and extensional aircore drilling at its Gibraltar halloysite-kaolin project, which is adjacent to Andromeda Metals’ (ASX: ADN) Mt Hope project in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.
The company plans to complete 47-holes for 2,500m of drilling across a 400m-by-400m grid.
Drilling will focus on an area 3.5km to the north of previous aircore drilling, which uncovered high-grade halloysite.
Oar noted additional infill drilling on 200m spacing will be undertaken based on initial observations from the wider spaced program.
This drilling can be completed under existing approvals.
High-grade halloysite discovered at Gibraltar project
In the latest aircore program, Oar is hoping to expand on the success of a maiden program that unearthed halloysite within 24 of 59 holes, with kaolinite present in all holes.
This program generated highlight intercepts of 13m at 5% halloysite and 84% kaolinite from 13m; 3m at 20% halloysite and 42% kaolinite from 26m; and 3m at 10% halloysite and 46% kaolinite from 11m.
Oar says the “high proportion” of samples containing halloysite in this program gives it confidence it can expand on the discovery.
Halloysite focus
Oar general manager of exploration Tony Greenaway said the company was “excited” to be back drilling at Gibraltar following the company’s initial success.
“Our drilling highlighted multiple halloysite pods within the kaolinite clays, with our highest-grade result of 20% halloysite occurring at the end of a line of drilling,” Mr Greenaway explained.
“This current program is designed to significantly extend drilling to the north, where we are looking to both expand the known halloysite pods and identify areas of more felsic basement materials, which have a lower mafic component and should result in the development of a brighter white kaolinitic saprolite.”
“With the Eyre Peninsula covered with a calcrete cap and very little to no outcropping basement, we must complete our systematic drilling to understand the underlying geology,” Mr Greenaway added.
Oar also plans to drill targets to the south, west and east of the initial program, with applications submitted for these areas.