Anglo Australian Resources Mandilla gold project near Kambalda is rapidly taking on a new complexion with seriously long, high grade intersections now rolling off the drill bit at will. Latest numbers include 26m at 8.29 g/t gold from 76 metres downhole at Mandilla East. Exploration, including DroneMag, has identified a range of new targets and extended the discovery zone to nearly 3 km of strike.
Anglo’s Mandilla gold project is located just to the south west of Kambalda in Western Australia around the Widgiemooltha area.
The project is already a proven performer for Anglo, with the company having pulled 23,000 ounces of gold from shallow alluvial deposits between 2006 and 2007. However, a recent reinterpretation of the geology at Mandilla has led management to vector in on the underlying source to the alluvial deposits.
Anglo has been back on site for several weeks now, with a systematic program of RC and Diamond drilling now paying dividends for the company. Exploration has extended the footprint of the gold mineralisation at Mandilla from a few hundred metres, adjacent to the old alluvial pits, to well over 1,000 metres, encompassing the new Mandilla East and Mandilla South discoveries.
Anglo Australian Resources Managing Director, Marc Ducler, said: “This is the most significant drill program undertaken at the Mandilla Gold Project targeting mineralisation within the Mandilla Syenite. With over 9,000m of drilling already completed and another 13,000m to come, the mineralised footprint of the discovery from only three months ago has already more than doubled in size and remains open (along strike) to the north and south.”
“The strong results support our view that there is a significant low strip ratio open pit opportunity. The recently completed DroneMag survey is also providing excitement with a number of anomalies yet to be followed up.”
Other impressive drill numbers out of the most recent Mandilla East drill program include 21m at 3.7 g/t gold from just 35 metres down-hole and 17m at 3.71 g/t gold from 59m which have extended the mineralised envelope another 300m to the south.
Extensional drilling north of Mandilla East has pushed out the mineralisation in that direction by a further 250m along strike with wide intercepts of gold mineralisation in that sector including 38 metres at 1.34 g/t from only 38 metres down hole and 9m at 5.89 g/t from 76m.
Just a kilometre to the south, the recent Mandilla South discovery is also delivering the goods. Intercepts from this emerging prospect include 27 metres at 1.79 g/t gold from 168 metres and 16 metres at 1.65 g/t from 188 metres down hole.
The potential of the Mandilla system is only just starting to be realised and a high-resolution ‘DroneMag’ survey has helped the company to identify the mineralised faults and structures which run through and along the contact of the host intrusive Mandilla Syenite. This is a similar geological environment to the recent 2.2 million-ounce Hemi gold discovery in the Pilbara.
The Drone Mag survey has also identified a significant number of ‘low-mag’ targets along strike from and linking the Mandilla East and South discoveries. These new targets extend the potential deposit area to almost 3 km of strike, giving Anglo plenty of room to get onto a company making ore system.
Anglo Australian’s aggressive exploration program at Mandilla is continuing to provide a string of outstanding gold intercepts with the company promising more good news as it finishes off 3,000 metres of diamond drilling in the coming weeks and launches into an additional 10,000 metres of RC in July.
The burning question for Anglo Australian follower now is; just how big is this Mandilla ore system and when will Anglo close it off?
Only time will tell but with numbers like 26m at 8 g/t gold rolling off the drill bit, it doesn’t look like stopping any time soon.
Is your ASX listed company doing something interesting ? Contact : matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
By Matt Birney
