Blina Minerals’ new Barkly project near Tennant Creek in the NT has taken on a new complexion after the Perth ASX-listed company tabled some exciting drill results from its maiden drill program at the project.
Best numbers include an impressive 20 metre intersection grading 1.67% copper and 1.79 grams per tonne gold from 156m at the Bluebird prospect and 15m going 3.46% copper and 0.61g/t gold.
Interestingly, the 15m intersection ended in mineralisation with 1m grading 4.8% copper and 3.9g/t gold, setting up an exciting new high grade target for Blina to chase.
Blina drilled a total of seven holes at Barkly, however only three managed to reach their intended targets due to unexpected and difficult ground conditions that the RC rig was unable to tackle.
With the mineralisation still open to the west and at depth and some exceptional first pass results, Blina will now fast track a diamond rig to site to tease out some more exciting results.
Bluebird is a high-ranking drill target, prospective for Tennant Creek-style magnetite hosted gold-copper deposits.
Historical drilling at Bluebird previously identified some scorching intersections such as 20m grading 8.17g/t gold, 0.61% copper and 0.22% bismuth from 157m downhole and 16m grading 3.02% copper and 0.65g/t gold from 139m.
Blina said the rocks at Bluebird are strongly weathered at depths of over 100m. This means that elements such as gold and copper can be leached and depleted in the weathered zone, which means that shallow drilling or surface sampling may not have necessarily tested the area properly for any potential mineralisation.
The region is also well known for its spectacularly enriched “supergene” zones, which can also be quite lucrative.
Historical data from the Nobles Nob mine showed spectacular average grades of 50 to 60g/t gold, with the mine producing a whopping 1.2 million ounces of gold from 1934.
Mindat.org said the ore at Nobles Nob was so rich, that when hit with a hammer it would not fracture, but would flatten out like soft gold.
At the very least, Blina’s Barkly project appears to be rich in “nearology” with management commenting that direct geological analogies are able to be made to Nobles Nob, which is only about 20km west.
The company also says there are additional targets along strike of the Bluebird prospect with similar geophysical and geochemical characteristics to known mineralisation in the area which are also begging for attention.
Blina has a 50% interest in unlisted Australian exploration company, Colour Minerals giving it an effective 50% shareholding in the promising Barkly project.
After a prolonged geological hiatus period, Blina appears to be back on track now and the numbers out of Barkly have given it a sense of excitement.
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