Rumble Resources to test Chinook and Magazine within Earaheedy zinc-lead-silver project
Drilling will focus on the zinc-lead strike potential at Chinook and Magazine prospects.
Exploration company Rumble Resources (ASX: RTR) has commenced a reverse circulation campaign at the Earaheedy zinc-lead-silver joint venture in Western Australia, targeting large-tonnage, near-surface deposits.
The campaign is expected to run for three weeks and will drill a total 2,500m at the project site, situated 110km north of Wiluna.
It will focus on recent shallow, unconformity-related discoveries at Chinook and Magazine to test the zinc-lead strike potential, as well as sandstone channel and facies zones which are conducive to developing high-grade, large-scale mineralisation.
This type of mineralisation has previously been identified at Chinook over 200m horizontal width and up to 12m vertical thickness.
Both prospects sit 10.5km apart and the zinc-lead-silver mineralisation is believed to be open in all directions.
The Earaheedy joint venture was formed in 2017 between Rumble (which has a majority 75% shareholding), and Zenith Minerals (ASX: ZNC).
Exploration target
Rumble’s exploration target at Earaheedy is up to 100 million tonnes at a zinc-lead grade ranging between 3.5% to 4.5%.
The target is at a shallow depth of 80m, and over 40km of prospective and completely-open strike has already been defined within the project’s landholding.
Rumble said the potential quantity and grade of the target was conceptual in nature as there had been insufficient exploration to date to estimate a mineral resource.
“This target is based on [our] current understanding of the mineralisation geometry, continuity of mineralisation and regional geology,” the company said.
“It is [retrieved from an] extensive drill hole database and regional mapping, coupled with understanding of the host stratigraphic sequence and a feasibility study completed at the nearby Paroo Station lead deposit (owned by private Canadian company LeadFX Inc).”
The database included results from a recent reverse circulation program at Earaheedy comprising 30 holes for a total 2,690m and diamond drilling of four holes for 1,199.8m, combined with 64 historic holes drilled by previous explorers.
Earaheedy is believed to be a sulphide system (galena and sphalerite) which is geologically equivalent to the mineralisation at Paroo.
Rumble said it would test the exploration target with drilling over the next 12 months.