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 begin exploration on their ground. Here’s a small selection of what’s been happening this week.
Monax commences Millers Creek gravity survey
Monax Mining (ASX: MOX) has commenced a detailed ground gravity survey at the Millers Creek designated project (DP).
The Millers Creek DP is a joint project with Monax’s strategic alliance partner, a wholly-owned subsidiary of major Chilean copper producer Antofagasta plc, via its wholly-owned subsidiary, Monax Alliance Pty Ltd.
The Millers Creek DP comprises three Alliance tenements together with four ASX-listed Maximus Resources (ASX: MXR) tenements located within the Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA) totalling 3165 square kilometres in South Australia.
Alliance recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
Maximus for the Billa Kalina project.
Initial processing and review of the SA Government WPA gravity survey outlined up to seven areas of interest.
Further review has decreased the areas of interest to four with a total of six individual gravity targets identified.
Each gravity target has a coincident or near coincident magnetic anomaly.
The current gravity survey will comprise data collected on a detailed 250m by 250m grid directly over the targets with some areas of 500m by 500m around the more detailed survey areas.
Modelling of the data will commence immediately upon the completion of the gravity survey and receipt of the final data.
The modelling should take 1-2 weeks to complete.
Results will be presented to Antofagasta and any decision to drill will be made by the Monax:Antofagasta Technical Committee.
Rox returns to Fisher East
Rox Resources (ASX: RXL) has recommenced Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling at the company’s Fisher East nickel sulphide project, 500km north of Kalgoorlie in
Western Australia.
The new RC drilling program (12 holes for 2,400m) is designed to follow-up previously reported nickel sulphide mineralisation at two separate locations, along the strike of the Camelwood ultramafic unit.
Each mineralised zone, Cannonball and Musket, is over 200m in strike length, which Roxhas interpreted to indicate a southern strike continuation of mineralisation from
Camelwood where a mineral resource of 1.6 million tonnes at 2.2 per cent nickel has been defined.
Results from the drilling program are expected within 4 to 6 weeks.
“This new RC drilling will further delineate the extent of the mineralisation identified last year and test it at deeper levels prior to follow up diamond drilling,” Rox Resources managing director Ian Mulholland said.
“The two initial drilling targets will be Musket and Cannonball where mineralisation remains open at depth and largely unexplored.
“These targets form part of a potential new regional-scale mineral field at Fisher
East.
“In addition we will test a couple of more regional targets.”
Predictive begins new drilling program at Bongou
Predictive Discovery (ASX: PDI) is set to commence a 2,000m diamond drilling program to follow up previous drill results at the company’s Bongou discovery in Burkina Faso.
Drilling will test for extensions to Bongou gold mineralised granite at depth and along strike.
Predictive will also carry out trenching to follow up a newly-identified Bongou-like mineralised zone, situated 500 metres north-west of the Bongou deposit.
Other activites will include a geophysical survey along strike to test for more concealed granite bodies and metallurgical testwork, which is scheduled to commence in March.
Predictive is fully-funded to carry-out the drilling program following a recent $1.1 million raising.
“The strength of the gold mineralised system at Bongou is indicated by a consistent combination of large widths, excellent continuity and high gold grades,” Predictive Discovery managing director Paul Roberts said.
“The mineralisation is open to depth and, most importantly, along strike, and preliminary metallurgical results have been excellent.
“We believe that a substantial gold deposit at Bongou with a large high-grade component is becoming increasingly clear.
“Our immediate task is to expand the potential volume of high-grade gold mineralisation and identify new deposits of the same type along strike.
“This program is designed to address both these objectives as cost effectively as possible.”