THE DRILL SERGEANT: Rox Resources has received results from RC drilling conducted on its Marqua phosphate project located close to the Queensland-Northern Territory border 300 kilometres south-west of Mount Isa.

The company completed a 29 hole, 1,900 metre RC drilling program in December 2011, which was designed to:

–    Confirm high grade areas at Coquina Creek;

–    Test new prospect areas such as Mauritania; and

–    Drill around the periphery of previously known mineralisation to test the strike extent.

Marqua project location. Source: Company announcement

High grades intersected at Marqua Phosphate project, include:

 –    3 metres at 29.8 per cent phosphate from 45 metres;

–    4m at 28.6 per cent phosphate from 13m;

–    3m at 22.6 per cent phosphate from 25m; and

–    1m at 21.8 per cent phosphate from 15m.

“These results confirm our initial confidence in the geological modelling at Marqua and provide a strong focus for future exploration and testwork,” Rox Resources managing director Ian Mulholland said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“We have a high level of confidence that further high grade phosphate results can be generated by additional drilling.

“Currently a phosphate bearing horizon extending over 30 kilometres in strike length and dipping to the north has been drill tested at nominally one kilometre spacing, with closer spaced drilling in areas of outcrop, or higher grades.

“This extensive mineralised system has not been tested at depth, with the deepest drill only reaching 100 metres in depth, and most testing to only 50 metres.

“Potential exists for a substantial phosphate resource to be defined at Marqua with further drilling, especially down dip to the north from known areas of high grade phosphate mineralisation.”

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Australian base metals company Ventnor Resources has released copper mineralisation assays, resulting from a Phase 3 drilling program undertaken on the Thaduna prospect at the company’s Thaduna and Green Dragon copper project.

The Thaduna and Green Dragon Copper Project is located 170 kilometres north of Meekatharra, Western Australia, in the Doolgunna district, and 40 kilometres east of Sandfire Resource’s, Degrussa project.

Thaduna location plan. Source: Company announcement

Best results from the drilling included:

–    37 metres at 2.61 per cent copper from 111 metres, including 10 metres at 7.53 per cent copper from 134 metres downhole; and

–    62m at 2.19 per cent copper from 125m, including 32m at 3.10 per cent copper from 127m downhole and ended in mineralisation of 3.70 per cent copper at End Of Hole, which is to be extended by diamond drilling.

The Phase 3 drilling program followed up promising results Ventnor had received from previous campaigns.

The program commenced in October 2011 and was completed December 2011, initially to determine a copper Resource at both copper prospects.

The Phase 3 drilling comprised 134 RC drillholes for 17,910m at both prospects and two diamond drillholes for 320m to extend RC drillholes at Thaduna.

“The last phase of RC and diamond drilling has discovered the primary mineralisation at Thaduna,” Ventnor Resources Bruce Maluish said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Deeper holes have increased our understanding of the geology and dimensions of the deposit.

“These results also contribute significantly to the grade and extent of the mineralisation and increase the potential contained copper inventory.”
 
The company said it has commenced a Phase 4 drill program which will comprise approximately 9,000m of predominantly deeper diamond core drilling down dip and along strike at both prospects with some RC infill drilling above 200m vertical.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Northern Star Resources has received results from drilling conducted alongside its Paulsens gold deposit in Western Australia, which it says provide strong evidence of the potential to replicate its richness.

The company has taken delivery of assays of up to 14 grams per tonne from a drilling campaign undertaken on the recently discovered quartz lode which lies adjacent to the known Paulsens mineralisation.

According to the company these quartz veins are located within an offset position similar to Paulsens mineralisation but outside the main gabbro rock unit which it explained has historically been seen as a ‘fence’ either side of Paulsens, acting as a natural perimeter on the extent of the mineralisation.

Plan view of interpretation of quartz lodes and gabbro offset position. Source: Company announcement

Significant results from the latest round of drilling include:

–    0.4 metres at 13.9 grams per tonne gold; and

–    0.6m at11.6 g/t gold.

The discovery of quartz on the southern side of the gabbro ‘fence’ came as a bit of surprise to Northern Star as the drilling was aimed only at gaining further knowledge of the structural geology on the other side of the gabbro rather than ascertaining whether it was mineralised.

“These latest results are highly encouraging because not only do they support Northern Star’s theory that there is more quartz on the other side of the Paulsens southern gabbro, but they show the quartz is mineralised,” Northern Star Resources managing director Bill Beament said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“These results point to the potential to replicate Paulsens. And given that we have now identified two additional zones of quartz, each separated by gabbro and there is the prospect of finding more such zones, we consider them to be a potential game-changer at Paulsens.

“But at the same time, it is important to note that just a few holes have been drilled and assayed and therefore there is much work to do before we will know the true significance of what we have.”

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Assay results from infill drilling and new extensions at Rex Minerals’ 100 per cent-owned Hillside copper project on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia have highlighted potential for shallow extensions to the Hillside Mineral Resource.

Rex Minerals said encouraging results were beginning to emerge from areas it had previously modelled as being outside of the Hillside conceptual open pit design.

Hillside magnetic image showing recent drill holes. Source: Company announcement

One particular area that has come to the company’s attention is the Dart structure, which Rex said continues to show higher than expected grades from the shallow southern part of the orebody.

The Dart structure extends for over 1.5 kilometres and is situated approximately 50 metres to the west of, and parallel to, the Zanoni structure.

Recent drilling results from the southern section of the Dart structure lie outside of the conceptual open pit.

Rex said it will be reviewing the recent high-grade Dart intercepts as part of a pre‐feasibility study, with the ultimate aim of optimising the production schedule with regards to the higher grade shallow resources.

Highlights from the recent drilling program at Hillside include:

Dart

–    22 metres at 1.3 per cent copper and 0.2 grams per tonne gold from 44 metres; and

–    32m at 1.2 per cent copper and 0.1g/t gold from 99m.

Parsee

–    29m at 1.4 per cent copper and 0.9g/t gold.

Songvaar

–    48m at 1.0 per cent copper and 0.1g/t gold from 75m;

–    40m at 1.0 per cent copper and 0.4g/t gold from 38m; and

–    12m at 1.8 per cent copper from 101m.

Leprena

–    18m at 1.4 per cent copper and 0.1g/t gold; and

–    18m at 1.0 per cent copper and 0.3g/t gold from 78m.

“The continued growth of Dart and other parts of the Hillside orebody are a fantastic result,” Rex Minerals managing director Steven Olsen said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“If these results continue, as we expect, Rex is confident of significant additions to the Hillside mineable inventory during the Pre‐feasibility Study.”

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Australia Minerals and Mining Group (AMMG) has commenced its first round of drilling at the company’s 80 per cent-owned Southdown Extension iron ore project, located in south-Western Australia.

AMMG acquired the 80 per cent interest in the West Southdown project, situated approximately 80 kilometres from the town and port of Albany, from Minemakers in October last year and subsequently renamed the project to the Southdown Extension project.

AMMG holds a 100 per cent interest in a further five granted tenements, which brings the company’s total Southdown Extension project area coverage to approximately 105 square kilometres.

The project is a 22-block exploration licence that lies along strike from Grange Resources’ Southdown magnetite project.

The Southdown Extension project lies along strike from Grange Resources’
Southdown magnetite project. Source: Company announcement

The planned drilling will consist of approximately 600 metres of RC drilling, completing up to four holes at an average of 150m each.

These holes are being carried out in order for AMMG to test magnetic anomalies and further define the magnetite mineralisation at the project.

“A series of follow-up diamond drilling ‘tails’ may be required to extend the known depth of the expected mineralisation,” AMMG said in its ASX announcement.

“The company will announce further drilling updates as the stage 1 drilling program progresses.”

When Minemakers initially acquired the West Southdown tenement, it targeted the western extension of Grange Resources’ Southdown magnetite deposit.

The tenement was granted to Minemakers in 2005, and in 2007 it announced strong intersections of magnetite mineralisation from a diamond drill-hole program, which focused on three targets over 8.5km strike length.

Results from this historic drilling included:

–    12 metres at 40.65 per cent magnetite, containing 65.5 per cent iron;

–    6m at 36.0 per cent magnetite, containing 64.8 per cent iron; and

–    9m at 41.0 per cent magnetite, containing 69.0 per cent iron.