Talisman scares up exploration targets at Halloween
THE DRILL SERGEANT: A maiden drilling program conducted by Talisman Mining at the company’s Halloween project in Western Australia has quickly delivered a series of encouraging gold intercepts.
Results from the 2,158 metre RC drilling program include:
– 10 metres at 3.56 grams per tonne gold from 84 metres, including 2 metres at 4.9 grams per tonne gold from 84 metres and 2 metres at 10.40 grams per tonne gold from 86 metres;
– 6m at 1.52g/t gold from 18m, including 2m at 3.26g/t gold from 20m;
– 28m at 0.53g/t gold from 70m, including 2m at 1.90g/t gold from 70m and 2m at 3.56g/t gold from 78m; and
– 2m at 1.14g/t gold from 62m.
The drilling program at Halloween was designed to test a series of copper-gold soil geochemical anomalies which Talisman said had been identified through an exploration program of geological mapping and in-fill soil sampling.
Simplified geological plan with drill hole locations showing gold intercepts. Source: Company announcement
“The gold mineralisation identified from the drilling program appears to be related to strong silica-carbonate-epidote-pyrite alteration along a volcanic sedimentary horizon and adjacent basalt with up to 25 per cent disseminated/stringer pyrite and trace chalcopyrite mineralisation,” Talisman Mining said in its ASX announcement.
“The host volcanics intersected in the drill holes also show pervasive magnetite development and strong manganese enrichment with elevated zinc-lead geochemistry.
“These are key pathfinders which are potentially indicative of a VMS-related exhalative mineralising system.”
Talisman said its previous exploration experience in the Doolgunna region has indicated Fixed Loop Electromagnetic (FLEM) surveys over key exploration target areas may provide useful exploration targeting information.
The company is set to commence a detailed FLEM survey over the Halloween prospective volcanic corridor.
The aim of this survey will be to defining follow-up conductive drill targets that might be related to massive copper-gold sulphides along strike and down dip from the better RC gold drill results.
The FLEM survey will be completed in April. Talisman indicated further RC, and potentially diamond drilling, will most likely be undertaken later in the June Quarter.
The Halloween project is situated 16.5 kilometres west of Talisman’s Springfield VMS copper-gold project and 11.5km south-west of the DeGrussa VMS copper-gold project, currently being developed by Sandfire Resources.
Talsiman said it has interpreted the mafic volcanics and sediments at Halloween to be part of the Narracoota Volcanic Formation, which hosts the DeGrussa VMS deposits to the east of Halloween.