ASX-listed Ardea Resources has received plenty of encouragement from the first RC drilling the company has undertaken at its Aphrodite North gold project, 80km north of Kalgoorlie, with significant gold hits encountered in what it says are newly defined mineralised lodes.
Notable intersections from the initial seven-hole reconnaissance program totalling 1,686m were 6m going 3.60 grams per tonne gold from 44m including 2m at 9.99 g/t, 8m at 4.94 g/t from 172m including 4m at 9.42 g/t and 10m at 1.52 g/t from 76m.
Gold mineralisation intercepted in fresh rock at Aphrodite North occurs as multiple discrete lodes over a strike length of more than 700m and a width of more than 170m.
All RC holes intersected the target dolerite contact zone with strong alteration and quartz veining, confirming gold intercepts at potentially mineable grades and widths, according to the company.
Ardea says that each of the mineralised lodes will require follow-up drilling to enable it to gain a better understanding of the grade distribution and the extent and abundance of gold mineralisation.
The Aphrodite North target structure lies beneath transported cover and does not exhibit any surface expressions.
Ardea Managing Director, Andrew Penkethman said: “The majority of the prospective basement rocks within Ardea’s large, strategic tenement package in the Eastern Goldfields of WA are concealed by surface cover and lake clays. However, detailed project assessment has demonstrated that fertile major gold-controlling structures pass through Ardea’s tenements.”
“To intersect significant gold mineralisation in the initial RC drill program at the Aphrodite North area demonstrates proof of concept and is a credit to the exploration team. This result is especially exciting as it is only one of many targets defined within Ardea’s extensive BTZ (Bardoc Tectonic Zone) gold target inventory.”
Two of the RC holes – those that returned the higher gold grades – had to be terminated before reaching target depths due to groundwater inflow and wet surface clays. Both holes finished up in a zone of strong alteration and gold mineralisation in what is now dubbed the main lode, which remains open at depth.
A gold anomalism detected by recent aircore drilling work was found to be the strongest in section 6666440mN. Ardea says the RC drilling has been focused on this target because, at this early stage, it considers the section most likely to mark the centre of the Aphrodite North mineralised system.
Despite grades recorded in the holes north and south of section 6666440mN not being as high as those intersected in the two drilled into it that had to be cut short, the company says strong veining and alterations are associated with the more moderate gold grades.
Importantly, whether some of these lodes are nuggetty or outside the controlling mineralised plunge is unknown at this point and so the lower-grade zones will require follow-up work to trace the extent of gold mineralisation throughout the Aphrodite North area.
In view of the encouraging initial RC drill results at Aphrodite North, Ardea is planning to kick off a new, 2,600m RC program next month. It will be aimed at drilling out the high-priority 6666440mN target zone to further delineate the gold mineralisation.
Aphrodite North sits about 6km north along strike of Bardoc Gold’s 1.68 million-ounce Aphrodite gold deposit and now presents as a real opportunity for Ardea who is better recognised for its massive nickel project around the Menzies area in the northern Goldfields.
Ardea is rapidly advancing its gold credentials on a number of fronts now and may have stumbled upon the ideal strategy – find and mine gold in order to pay for the development of its world-class nickel project.
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