Overview
Flynn Gold Limited (ASX: FG1) is an Australian mineral exploration company with a portfolio of projects in Tasmania and Western Australia.
Tasmania is home to several world-renowned deposits and is rich in diverse mineral resources and operating mines. The region has established mining districts, excellent infrastructure such as rail and ports, and a skilled workforce, with a stable political and regulatory environment. These features are a big positive for the company’s projects in this region.
The company has nine 100 percent owned tenements in Northeast Tasmania which are highly prospective for gold and tin/tungsten with three major projects — Golden Ridge, Portland and Warrentinna. In Northwest Tasmania, it has the Henty zinc-lead-silver and the Firetower gold and critical minerals projects.
Flynn Gold’s exploration at its Golden Ridge Project has focused on an 8-kilometre-long granodiorite-metasediment contact zone with diamond drilling programs completed at the Brilliant and Trafalgar prospects, with multiple high-grade gold vein intersections.
Moreover, the company’s first diamond drilling programs at its Warrentinna and Firetower projects have been completed with assays pending.
Apart from Tasmania, the company is building a strategic lithium and gold portfolio in Western Australia, targeting hard-rock lithium pegmatites and intrusive related gold deposits in the Pilbara region and Yilgarn Craton. Its five lithium-gold projects in Western Australia are strategically located in districts hosting large gold and lithium deposits or in regions that are relatively under-explored for lithium. Of these, three lithium-gold projects are in the Yilgarn region: Forrestania, Lake Johnston and Koolyanobbing. The remaining two lithium-gold projects are in the Pilbara region: Mt Dove and Yarrie.
Flynn’s recent acquisitions have been focused on strengthening its lithium portfolio. This includes the option agreement to purchase two exploration licences at the Parker Dome Project in Western Australia, which is considered highly prospective for lithium. In addition to this, Flynn has also increased its land position closer to the Mt Holland lithium project. Four new exploration licence applications covering approximately 20 sq. km. have been lodged with the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety.
The focus on lithium positions the company to benefit from the global transition towards clean energy. The recent COP28 summit in Dubai signaled the world's desire to move away from fossil fuels over the next few decades to address climate change. Electric vehicles are likely to remain in focus as a key solution to the climate challenges. Most of the lithium is used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric cars and mobile devices. Summarily, lithium will be in high demand given this trend.
Company Highlights
- Flynn Gold is an Australian mineral exploration company with a portfolio of gold and battery metals projects in Tasmania and Western Australia.
- In Tasmania, the company holds 12 tenements spread across 1,475 sq. km., including three main projects in Northeast Tasmania — Golden Ridge, Warrentinna and Portland — that are prospective for gold and tin. Moreover, it has two projects in Northwest Tasmania: the Henty zinc-lead-silver project and the Firetower gold-cobalt-tungsten-copper project.
- In Western Australia, Flynn holds 24 tenements across 1,140 sq. km., including lithium-gold projects in the Pilbara and Yilgarn regions. The Yilgarn region has three lithium-gold projects: Forrestania; Lake Johnston and Koolyanobbing. The Pilbara hosts two gold-lithium projects: Mt Dove and Yarrie.
- In addition to these focus areas, the company holds an option to acquire two exploration licences at Parker Dome in Western Australia, situated near the world-class Mount Holland lithium project.
- The company’s near-term focus is on its Northeast Tasmania gold portfolio due to its geological similarity to the Victorian goldfields.
- Flynn Gold’s exploration at its flagship Golden Ridge Project in NE Tasmania has focused on an 8-kilometre-long granodiorite-metasediment contact zone with diamond drilling to date intersecting multiple high-grade gold vein intervals.
- In November 2023, the company announced strong metallurgical test results from the Golden Ridge project, as exploration commenced at two other Tasmanian projects — Warrentinna and Firetower – with results pending.
- In December 2023, the company announced plans to raise $2.4 million that will help advance its exploration activities including the acquisition of the exploration licences at Parker Dome.
- The company’s senior leadership team has a proven track record in the mining sector to capitalize on the high resource potential of its projects.
Key Projects
Northeast Tasmania
The company has three main projects in northeast Tasmania — Golden Ridge, Portland and Warrentinna. The under-explored Northeast Tasmania region is interpreted to be part of the Western Lachlan Orogen, a geological extension of the rich Victorian Goldfields which boast of historical gold production of over 80 million ounces (Moz). The company’s landholding across nine 100 percent owned tenements in the region has provided it with significant potential for gold and tin discoveries.
Golden Ridge Project
Targeted for intrusive related gold system (IRGS) style mineralization, the Golden Ridge project is located 75 kilometres east of Launceston in Northeast Tasmania. Previous gold exploration at the Golden Ridge Project has been very limited with shallow historical workings located over an 8-kilometre-long granodiorite-metasediment contact zone. Flynn Gold’s exploration has focused on the Brilliant and Trafalgar prospects, with diamond drilling programs completed at both locations between June 2021 and August 2023. In addition, a limited reconnaissance RC drilling program in late 2022 to test for gold mineralisation at the Link Zone confirmed the presence of shallow gold mineralisation between the Brilliant and Trafalgar prospects, highlighting the significant gold potential of the granodiorite-metasediment contact zone.
Drilling at Trafalgar consisted of 14 holes for 5,218.3 metres with multiple vein intersections grading >100 grams per ton (g/t) gold reported. The best intersections recorded in drilling at Trafalgar were 16.8 g/t gold over 12.3 metres (from 108.7 to 121 metres), including 0.7m at 152.5 g/t gold and 23.7 g/t gold over 4 metres (from 23 to 27 metres), including a high-grade zone of 0.5 metre at 169.8 g/t gold.
Drilling completed at Trafalgar intersected high-grade gold over a strike length of 400 metres and from depths of 40 to 400 metres below surface, confirming a significant new gold discovery that is open in all directions.
Initial metallurgical tests were successfully completed in November 2023 on 26 drill samples from the Trafalgar prospect. Average gold recovery of 94.5 percent was recorded using conventional bottle roll leaching.
Portland Project
The Portland gold project covers 370 sq. kms. and comprises three adjacent tenements: Portland, Telegraph and Cameron Tin. The project falls within the region mined historically from 1870 to 1917 and has similarities to Victorian geology with high-grade “Fosterville-style” gold mineralization confirmed. Geochemical surveys and costean sampling programs at Portland confirmed the presence of anomalous gold zones. Drilling at the Grand Flaneur prospect in 2022 and the Popes prospect in 2023 have both confirmed the presence of gold mineralization.
Warrentinna Project
The Warrentinna project was acquired in 2023 from Greatland Gold plc (LSE:GGP). The Project is located in northeast Tasmania and covers an area of approximately 37 sq km immediately adjacent to Flynn’s existing Lyndhurst Project. The tenement encompasses two historic goldfields, Forester and Warrentinna. Both fields produced high-grade gold deposits in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Warrentinna goldfield is defined by numerous historic workings and largely untested prospects over a strike length of 6 kilometres.
Initial drilling by Flynn in September/October 2023 at Warrentinna consisted of two diamond drill holes, designed to test the continuity and extension of orogenic style gold mineralisation identified in historical drilling. The holes are also designed to provide stratigraphic and structural information critical to advancing understanding of the project. Assay results are pending.
Northwest Tasmania
The company has two projects in the Northwest Tasmania region: the Henty zinc project and the Firetower project.
Henty Zinc Project
The project is a 130 sq. km land holding under two 100 percent owned exploration licences and provides the company with a dominant position in a rich base metals field with proximity to an existing zinc/lead concentrate producer (MMG’s Rosebery mine).
The Henty Project has a significant pipeline of exploration targets with the Mariposa and Grieves Siding prospects ready for resource drilling
Firetower Project
The project was acquired in 2023 from Greatland Gold plc (LSE: GGP). The project spans more than 62 sq. kms. and represents an advanced gold plus battery metals project, which includes three notable prospects: Firetower, Firetower East and Firetower West. The Firetower project lies in the highly mineralized Mt Read volcanic sequence which hosts major polymetallic base metals and gold deposits such as Hellyer and Rosebery, copper-gold deposits such as Mt Lyell (3 million tons contained copper, 3.1 Moz contained gold), and the Henty gold mine (1.64 Moz gold @ 12.5 g/t gold).
Resampling of the historic core at Firetower has confirmed the significant potential for gold and critical minerals - cobalt, tungsten and copper. The results have made it clear this project represents an exciting polymetallic opportunity. The company commenced a diamond drilling program in October 2023 to target both the gold and polymetallic minerals potential.
Western Australia
Flynn holds five gold-lithium projects in the resources-rich state of Western Australia, strategically located near large gold and lithium deposits or in regions that are relatively under-explored for lithium.
The five projects include: Mt. Dove and Yarrie in Pilbara; and Koolyanobbing, Forrestania and Lake Johnston in Yilgarn.
Mt Dove Project
Located 70 kilometres south of Port Hedland in the Pilbara region, Mt Dove comprises five granted licences covering 86.6 sq. kms. and one tenement application. The project is located near the large Hemi gold deposit (De Grey Mining, ASX:DEG) and the large lithium mines at Pilgangoora and Wodgina. The company has completed two soil sampling programs at Mt Dove, which have identified lithium and gold anomalies. The follow-up exploration, which is likely to include aircore drilling, intends to test lithium and gold anomalies identified during the soil sampling program completed in 2022 and 2023.
Yarrie Project
The Yarrie Project comprises three tenements and one application covering 424 sq. kms. Very limited historical exploration has been undertaken for lithium, gold and copper on the project. The project is highly prospective for iron ore, being close to historic mining operations and existing rail infrastructure.
Forrestania Project
The Forrestania project consists of one exploration licence and five exploration licence applications over a 320 sq. km. area. It is located near the Mt Holland lithium deposit (Wesfarmers (ASX:WES)/ SQM (NYSE:SQM) JV) and high-grade nickel deposits, Flying Fox and Maggie Hays.
Lake Johnston Project
Lake Johnston consists of five exploration licenses over a 116 sq. km. area, and is located near the Burmeister lithium discovery (TG Metals (ASX:TG6)) and the Medcalf, Lake Percy and Mt Day Lithium projects.
Koolyanobbing Project
Koolyanobbing comprises one exploration licence and two applications targeting gold and lithium mineralization over an 82 sq. km. area in the Marda-Diemals greenstone belt.
Parker Dome Project
In addition to the above-mentioned projects, Flynn has secured an option agreement to purchase two exploration licences at the Parker Dome project in Western Australia, which is considered highly prospective for lithium. The Parker Dome project covers 42 sq. kms. and is situated 50 kilometres north of the world-class Mount Holland lithium project in Western Australia. The licences are fully permitted allowing for an immediate commencement of exploration and drilling. The company expects to commence drilling at Parker Dome in early 2024.
Management Team
Clive Duncan – Non-executive Chair
Clive Duncan has over four decades of experience at big box hardware chain Bunnings, including as chief operating officer and company director. He has rich experience in corporate and business development, including mergers and acquisitions, business integrations, corporate government, strategy development and marketing. He has completed post-graduate studies at Harvard University and London Business School and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is a long-term significant shareholder of Flynn Gold’s predecessor companies.
Neil Marston – Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Neil Marston was appointed managing director in May 2023 and has been the company CEO since August 2022. He has more than 30 years of experience in the mining and minerals exploration sector and is a proven ASX-listed company leader, with a strong governance and corporate finance background. Previously, he held several senior roles including managing director at Bryah Resources (ASX:BYH) and Horseshoe Metals (ASX:HOR).
Sam Garrett – Technical Director
Sam Garrett has more than 30 years of exploration management, project assessment and operational experience with multinational and junior mining and exploration companies, including Phelps Dodge and Cyprus Gold. He has a background in copper and gold exploration with strong exposure to iron ore, base metals and specialist commodities. He is associated with discoveries at Mt Elliott (copper), Havieron (copper-gold), and Tujuh Bukit (gold). Moreover, he co-founded Flynn Gold and its predecessor Pacific Trends Resources.
John Forwood – Non-executive Director
John Forwood is a director and chief investment officer of Lowell Resources Funds Management (LRFM). He is qualified as a lawyer and geologist and has more than 20 years of resources financing experience, including with ASX-listed Lowell Resources Trust (ASX:LRT), as a director of RMB Resources, and as manager of Telluride Investment Trust.
This article was written in collaboration with Couloir Capital.
Figure 1 - Location of Flynn Gold tenements in NE Tasmania.
Figure 1: Firetower Project Geology and Gold Prospects
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Figure 1 – Project Location Map