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Augustus Minerals (ASX: AUG; “Augustus” or the “Company”) is pleased to provide the following summary of activities undertaken during the quarter ended 31 March 2024 (March Quarter).
Highlights
- Assay results received from last quarter's drilling at the Ti-Tree project identified mineralisation at several prospects.
- Strong results, consistent with the zones of a porphyry copper system were received from the first 22 holes drilled into the Minnie Springs Cu-Mo-Ag porphyry prospect, including intercepts of:
- MSRC012: 18m @ 0.37% Cu and 9.7 g/t Ag from 94m downhole, and;
- 16m @ 0.38% Cu and 19.4g/t Ag from 121m downhole
- MSRC022: 7m @ 0.19% Cu from 87m downhole
- MSRC011: 7m @ 0.12% Cu from 21m downhole
- MSRC012 mineralisation contained significant base metal and silver including:
- 5m @ 27.6 g/t Ag, 0.25% Pb and 0.15% Zn with 148 ppm Mo from 107m, and
- 14m @ 21.5 g/t Ag, 0.18% Pb and 0.1% Zn with 274ppm Mo from 122m
- Copper Ridge CRRC008 returned:
- 4m @ 0.91% Cu from 13m
- Including 2m @ 1.67% Cu
- A 3,400m RC drill program has commenced at Minnie Springs, with deeper diamond drilling planned for June.
- Extensive soil sampling program commenced, representing the first systematic exploration over large parts of the mineralised Ti-Tree and adjacent Minga Bar Shears
- Soil program to target both base metal-gold and lithium prospective Leake Spring Metamorphics as well as extensions to the Minnie Springs porphyry style copper- molybdenum trend.
- Cash position of $4.55m as of 31 March
During the period Augustus received the drill results from the Ti-Tree project’s maiden reverse circulation (RC) drilling program completed last quarter. The program was designed primarily to test six advanced targets where existing soil and/or rock chip anomalies had been generated.
Augustus has continued to advance its mineral exploration ground efforts within the Ti-Tree Project with a regional soil sampling program commencing in March and a second RC drilling program commencing in early April at the Minnie Springs Cu-Mo-Ag porphyry prospect.
Drilling Activities
The Ti-Tree project covers some 3,600km2 and overlies 85kms of strike of the Ti-Tree Shear which is known to host a significant number of mineral occurrences in the region. The project area also contains >20kms of strike of the Money Intrusion, where Dreadnought Resources (ASX:DRE) has recently discovered significant Ni-Cu-PGE mineralisation1 .
Assay results from late last quarter’s drilling which comprised 78 holes totalling 9,086m of Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling were received in the March quarter2.
The primary focus of this drill program was to target significant mineralised zones defined by surface exploration completed across the 6 prospect areas of Minnie Springs, Coo Creek, Nick’s Bore, Copper Ridge, Crawford Bore and Crawford South (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Map of Crawford area and Minnie Springs, key drilling targets
Significant assays with >1m width at >0.1%Cu are shown in Table 1 below. Intervals marked * contain composite samples (nominal 4m).
This article includes content from Augustus Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
AUG:AU
High grade Assay Results Continue at Youanmi
- The latest batch of assays have been received from the 11,000m drilling program (both diamond core and reverse circulation) at the high gold-grade Youanmi Gold Project, located centrally in Western Australia’s prolific gold fields
- The recently-completed infill/exploration program aimed to improve resource confidence and open up corridors for resource growth; to underpin the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), and, additionally, provide sample material for ongoing metallurgical optimisation test-work for the DFS program
- Latest highlights from the program include:
- RXDD131: 4.38m @ 19.07 g/t Au from 387.98m,
- incl. 1.73m @ 41.43 g/t Au from 389.96m
- RXDD119: 4.56m @ 14.60 g/t Au from 220.64m
- RXDD115: 2.99m @ 21.11 g/t Au from 249.88m
- RXDD119: 4.0m @ 7.37 g/t Au from 162.0m
- RXDD132: 7.19m @ 3.90 g/t Au from 263.61m
- RXDD133: 2.83m @ 6.53 g/t Au from 431.00m
- RXDD128: 3.82m @ 4.51 g/t Au from 364.59m,
- incl. 1.73m @ 8.22 g/t Au from 364.59m
- incl. 1.73m @ 8.22 g/t Au from 364.59m
- RXDD122: 0.95m @ 13.50 g/t Au from 204.44m
- §These results further demonstrate the continuity of high- grade gold mineralisation along the Youanmi greenstone belt belt, and the potential for resource growth both at depth and along-strike, with discovery potential to the south
- 35,000m Step-up drill campaign well underway with the plan to bring forward ounces and increase the mine plan
The program focused on converting Inferred stopes at Pollard, United North and Youanmi Main to higher confidence Indicated classification and providing material for metallurgical testing for the upcoming Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) – on track for H2 CY25.
This final consignment of diamond assay results are the fourth batch of assays results returned from the drill program and have been entirely drilled from the Pollard, Youanmi and United North areas (Figure 1).
Rox Resources’ Chief Executive Officer, Phillip Wilding, commented:
“It’s pleasing to round out the 11,000m RD and DD drilling program with another batch of excellent intercepts.
“More importantly, the program has significantly improved our knowledge of the high grade and underexplored Youanmi ore system, and shown that mineralisation remains open at depth.
“Next steps are to convert Inferred areas of the Resource to the higher confidence Indicated classification, and finalise key intercepts of sample material for metallurgical test work to feed into the Youanmi DFS.
“We are excited to have commenced the 35,000m Step-up program to potentially bring forward ounces in the mine plan and significantly increase the size of the Pollard ore zone.”
Youanmi Major Growth Drill program
Resource drilling has focused on converting selected Inferred stopes in the current Mineral Resource of 16.2Mt at 4.4g/t Au for 2.3Moz (Indicated: 10.7Mt at 4.5g/t Au for 1.6 Moz : Inferred 5.5Mt at 4.2g/t Au for 0.7 Moz) 1 to higher confidence Indicated classification at Pollard, United North and Youanmi Main as shown in plan on Figure 1. The drilling has also provided both sample material for metallurgical testing and valuable geological data for the pending Definitive Feasibility Study (“DFS”) planned for second half of 2025.
Figure 1: Plan view of the Youanmi Gold Project featuring drill hole collar locations and 2024 Resource outline overprinted on aerial photography
Outside of the immediate resource area, drilling was also conducted on near-mine exploration and focused on the Youanmi South prospect area, or Paddy’s Lode, first reporting high-grade intercepts in 20232. The drilling at Paddy’s has complimented the Company’s exploration strategy moving south along the Main Lode Shear Zone (MLSZ) and adding additional gold ounces to the Resource. Youanmi South has the potential to grow the Resource above the 103kozpa Production Target outlined in the recently completed Pre-Feasibility Study (“PFS”)3.
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This article includes content from Rox Resources Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Drilling Commenced at Viani in Fiji
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Phase 1, three-hole diamond drilling program has commenced at the Viani Project, Fiji and will test for extensions to the quartz vein gold mineralisation at depth.
- Phase 1 is expected to be completed in early 2025, with plans for additional drilling under the same program dependent on the initial results
- The Viani Project (SPL1513) covers an area of approximately 200km2 and is largely underexplored.
- At the Dakuniba prospect within Viani, low sulphidation epithermal high-grade gold mineralisation has been mapped over >3km strike length.
- Diamond drilling completed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 1995 to 1997 intersected high-grade gold in low sulphidation epithermal quartz veins, including 0.6m @ 27.6 g/t Au.
Alice Queen’s Managing Director, Andrew Buxton said,
With drilling underway, Alice Queen is positioned to test the epithermal gold-style mineralisation identified in historic drilling at the Viani Project. Weather permitting, we anticipate completing the Phase 1, three-hole diamond drilling program in early 2025. Following this, our exploration team will mobilise the drill rig to the Sabeto Project in Fiji to maintain the momentum of this campaign. To deliver timely results to shareholders, we intend to accelerate the analysis of the drill core at ALS Brisbane.”
Image 1 – Diamond drilling at Viani
Details
Geology
The geology of the Viani Project (SPL 1513) comprises olivine basalts and volcaniclastics of the Natewa Volcanic Group which are intruded by andesite sills and dykes. In the 1940s, gold mineralisation was found by local prospectors near the village of Dakuniba. At Dakuniba, low sulphidation style epithermal gold occurs in quartz veins, and silicified rocks along a 3km long NE trending zone.
In 1995-1997, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) drilled six diamond holes at Dakuniba and intersected high-grade gold in chalcedonic, crustiform, colloform banded quartz veins at depths of 50m to 100m below surface (i.e. MJVFV-5 intersected 2.2m @ 11.3 g/t Au, incl 0.6m @ 27.6 g/t Au at 121m downhole). This high-grade gold mineralisation is open in all directions.
Proposed Drill program
The initial Phase 1 drill program at Viani (see Table 1) will comprise three diamond drillholes designed to test continuity to the epithermal gold mineralisation previously intersected in JICA drillhole MJVFV- 5 (2.2m @ 11.3 g/t Au) (see Figure 2). The drilling will test for extensions to the gold mineralisation at depth and along strike.
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This article includes content from Alice Queen Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
