Mining

Re-analysis of Tuckers Hill rock chip samples returns higher gold grades for Golden Deeps

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By Imelda Cotton - 
Golden Deeps ASX GED gold NSW Government intention grant Tuckers Hill licence

Golden Deeps’ geologists plan to be onsite at Tuckers Hill near Mudgee tomorrow.

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A re-analysis of rock chip samples from the Tuckers Hill gold project near Mudgee in New South Wales has returned higher gold grades for owner Golden Deeps (ASX: GED).

In December, the company completed reconnaissance geological mapping and rock sampling at the Tuckers Hill and Eldorado prospects, which sit north-east of the historic Hargraves goldfield.

Approximately 41 samples were taken of quartz veins and mullock from the workings, with one sample returning a highest result of 9.64 grams per tonne gold from Tuckers Hill.

Re-analysis by Intertek Laboratories using the ‘LeachWell’ method has since unveiled a higher grade of 15.61g/t gold from that same sample.

LeachWell utilises an accelerant to determine a sample’s cyanide extractable gold and is believed to provide a good indication of potential recoveries in metallurgical processes and circuits.

The method can be carried out on samples of up to 1,000g with a detection limit of 0.01g/t gold.

Other samples from Tuckers Hill and Eldorado which returned original values greater than 0.1g/t gold have since returned higher values using the Leachwell method.

Golden Deeps said the higher gold values confirm the high gold grade of the quartz veins at Tuckers Hill and further justifies its planned diamond drilling program.

Provisional holes

Golden Deeps said provisional holes had already been selected for drilling on the crest and eastern side of the Tuckers Hill prospect and work would commence once all approvals had been obtained.

Drill holes on the eastern side of the hill will test gold mineralised veins in the east limb of the prospect’s anticline, below previous underground mining.

The holes from the crest of the hill will target saddle reefs in the apex of the anticline.

Drill sites are located on crown land which requires varying levels of access and heritage agreements with Native Title claimants and other stakeholders.

Project location

The Tuckers Hill project is located at the northern end of the Hill End gold discovery owned Peak Minerals (ASX: PUA) and believed to host a resource of 4.68Mt at 3.3g/t gold for 501,552 ounces of contained gold.

There is little evidence of mining at Tuckers Hill prior to 1875, however historical information from between 1896 and 1939 indicates production of 1,900t of ore at 38g/t gold.

A compilation of previous exploration data and re-imaging of aeromagnetic data has revealed five gold mineralised trends which are aligned in a north-northeast orientation, some of which are extensions of mined reef at Hargraves.

The priority targets are the Tuckers Hill and Maitland trends where sampling of historic workings and quartz veins returned high-grade gold values.

Rock chip sampling of quartz veins and dumps at Tuckers Hill in 1981 returned multiple assay results grading over 1g/t with a peak value of 28g/t gold.

Golden Deeps said the style of mineralisation at the Tuckers Hill project is similar to Kirkland Lake Gold’s (ASX: KLA) Fosterville mine in Victoria, where the mineral is contained in quartz reefs in the apex of tight anticlinal folds.