Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Each week any number of junior exploration plays set out to drill their ground. Here’s a small selection of what’s been happening this week.
Drilling Commenced
Encounter Resources (ASX: ENR) has commenced diamond drilling at the Yeneena project in Western Australia.
This first diamond drilling of 2015 commenced at BM7 and will then move to Millennium to complete an initial three hole program over the next 6 to 8 weeks.
Drillin at the BM7 prospect will test a strong geochemical and structural vector identified north-east of the final hole of 2014, EPT2158, that intersected 140m at 0.2 per cent copper, including 1.3m at 3.2 per cent copper from 250.4m.
The 2015 drill campaign intends to target the area to the east and north of EPT2158 testing for a flat lying body of high grade copper mineralisation.
Exploration at the BM7 prospect is being conducted as part of the Antofagasta earn-in agreement.
Encounter recently completed an earn-in and joint venture agreement with Hampton Hill Mining at Millennium whereby Hampton has committed to sole fund the next $500,000 of exploration expenditure for a 10 per cent interest and may elect to earn a 25per cent interest in the project by funding a total of $2million of the next $3 million of exploration expenditure.
RC Drilling Underway at Yandal and Kalgoorlie gold projects
Metaliko Resources (ASX: MKO) is ready to commence Reverse Circulation (RC) drill testing of priority gold targets at multiple prospects across the company’s Yandal and Kalgoorlie projects.
The program will comprise around 53 RC holes and is planned to confirm and extend known mineralisation in specific areas.
At the Yandal project, all drilling was conducted at prospects located between 12 to 25 kilometres from the Bronzewing Treatment Plant.
At Anomaly 45 and Woorana the programs are designed to confirm mineralisation identified in historic drilling and provide sufficient geological data to define initial JORC Compliant Mineral Resource Estimates at each of the prospects.
At the Fat Lady prospect the drilling is designed to test deeper ore zones for higher grade material.
At Mandaline Well two scissor RC holes aim to confirm and extend a previous nickel oxide surface intercept.
At the Goongarrie Lady Deposit located north of Kalgoorlie five angled RC holes are planned to test for depth and strike extensions to the southern end of the existing shallow JORC Compliant Mineral Resource Estimate.
Once assays are returned an updated JORC 2012 Compliant Mineral Resource Estimate and pit optimisation study will be completed to support applications and activity for mine approvals.
In addition up to nine angled RC holes are planned to be drilled at the Baden Powell North prospect north of Kalgoorlie to test a high tenor gold-in-soil anomaly over a mineralised contact that has been partially tested by historic drilling.
Four deep holes are planned to further test historical gold intercepts beneath the Baden Powell open cut mine.
Drilling commences at Windsor prospect
King River Copper (ASX: KRC) has commenced a program of RC drilling at the Windsor prospect southwest of Kununurra in Western Australia.
Recently completed IP surveys at Windsor have identified five priority targets for drill testing.
On completion of the drilling program at Windsor, King River will move the rig to test additional IP targets around the Greys, Hayden and Chapman locations.
Drilling to Test EM anomaly
Boadicea Resources (ASX: BOA) is drilling a diamond drillhole (RC precollar and diamond tail) to test the Red Cap EM anomaly within the company’s Symons Hill project.
Symons Hill is located approximately six kilometres along strike from Sirius Resources’ (ASX: SIR) Nova‐Bollinger deposit in the Fraser Range of Western Australia.
The testing of the Red Cap anomaly follows systematic geochemistry and airborne EM survey, followed by aircore drilling which defined ultramafic and mafic intrusive rocks with associated anomalous nickel geochemistry.
A ground based EM survey was then completed over the area of interest, defining the EM anomaly which is the target of the current diamond hole.