DiscovEx Resources is hunting an “enigmatic” gold source at its Edjudina project about 250km north-east of Kalgoorlie after recent drilling assays confirmed bedrock gold at all three prospects tested and ratified the continuity of mineralisation at the transition between weathered and fresh rock. Significant intersections within weathered bedrock include 5m at 0.55 grams per tonne gold from 72m at the Colossus prospect, 3m at 0.7g/t from 68m, within 11m at 0.27g/t from 60m at Spartan West, and 1m at 0.32g/t from 80m at Spartan East.
The air-core (AC) program targeted existing weathered bedrock gold anomalies generated from first-pass drilling and reported back in October last year. A total of 37 AC holes were completed in the Spartan East, Spartan West and Colossus campaign.
All three targets displayed elevated gold results close to the bottom of hole and scale potential. DiscovEx believes the bottom-of-hole mineralisation is especially encouraging because of the potential for primary gold mineralisation in the fresh rock below.
But management says the source of the mineralisation remains elusive.
Anomalous intersections have now been returned from three levels within the regolith profile – at surface, at the base of transported material and close to the boundary between weathered and fresh rock.
DiscovEx says it is continuing its investigations into the source of each of the individual mineralised horizons, but its focus will centre on a potential primary gold source to mineralisation within the weathered basement rocks.
Its current assumption is that given the weathered bedrock gold anomalies are close to the end of hole, the source of this mineralisation is proximal to – and likely below – each of the supergene halos defined.
But the mobility of gold and silver in the regolith environment means this might not be true and management says further multi-element analysis is needed to prioritise each of its targets. Special attention will be given to pathfinder-element associations specifically related to intrusion-hosted gold mineralisation, particularly given the spatial distribution of each target area to the edge of the Great Victoria Granite.
The company says it will now pursue a measured approach to future exploration steps, despite its continuing optimism through the abundance of gold defining each of its targets.
DiscovEx managing director Toby Wellman said: “We are extremely encouraged by the gold mineralisation intersected during this latest round of drilling at Edjudina, however definitive indications of a primary source remain enigmatic. With the identification of multiple supergene gold anomalies, coupled with additional targets generated within the broader project area, both conceptually and through existing soil geochemistry programs, the prospect pipeline is looking healthy. Continued evaluation of all targets will continue, to ensure the next steps within the exploration process are appropriately considered.”
Edjudina comprises four exploration tenements in the Laverton Tectonic Zone and is considered prospective for gold and nickel-copper mineralisation. A range of historic work on those tenements included soil sampling, geophysics AC and minimal RC. They were undertaken mostly during the 1980s and 1990s when the gold price was less than one-sixth of today’s price of more than US$2000 (almost AU$3000).
That is an attractive price for many a gold explorer and with multiple targets having now been generated, DiscovEx is conducting a review to establish if further lookalike targets existing within the project area would add to its growing target pipeline.
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By Mark Irving
