Western Mines Group completes maiden drilling at Rock of Ages gold project
The maiden reverse circulation drilling program at Rock of Ages comprised five holes for 654m, with assays expected within six weeks.
Perth-based exploration company Western Mines Group (ASX: WMG) has completed a maiden drilling program at the Rock of Ages gold project, southeast of Laverton in Western Australia.
The reverse circulation program was the first to properly test the depth potential of high-grade gold mineralisation associated with the area’s historic shallow mine shafts and workings over a strike of approximately 600m.
Five holes were completed to a maximum depth of 150m for a total of 654m across four drill lines along the main central strike of the trend.
Drilling was designed to target an inferred sub-vertical westerly dipping mineralised horizon and test for high-grade gold shoots or lodes beneath the main central shafts and workings.
It predominantly intersected sheared felsic volcanics, which were often heavily weathered down to approximately 80m.
In fresh rock within the target horizon, quartz veining and zones of disseminated pyrite and arsenopyrite were observed within the silicified, sheared felsic volcanic.
Potential mineralisation
Managing director Caedmon Marriott said there were a number of indicators of potential mineralisation observed at the walk-up target.
“Rock of Ages has a concentration of high-grade historical workings that have never been properly tested at depth [and] we are encouraged by the execution of the drilling and the results observed,” he said.
“Every hole intersected zones of [potential mineralisation] at the predicted target horizon and we now eagerly await the assay results.”
Samples are being delivered to the ALS laboratory in Perth for gold analysis by fire assay, with results within the next six weeks.
“While we are encouraged by a number of the geological indicators observed in the drilling, geochemical assay is required determine the presence of any gold mineralisation,” Mr Marriott said.
Project location
The Rock of Ages project lies on the Laverton Greenstone Belt, around 4.5 kilometres south of the historic Burtville Mining Centre.
It is nearby to the Laverton gold project owned by Focus Minerals (ASX: FML) which contains the Burtville deposit (hosting 206,000 ounces at 0.96 grams per tonne gold) and the Karridale discovery (1.19Moz at 1.33g/t gold).
Historic records at Rock of Ages indicate 2,074oz of gold was mined between 1902 and 1911 at an average grade of 50g/t.