ASX-listed Horizon Minerals has racked up a score of near-surface, high-grade gold hits from an aircore and reverse circulation drilling program at its Windanya gold project that straddles the prolific Bardoc Tectonic Zone about 45km north of Kalgoorlie. The discovery aircore hole at the project’s Scorpio prospect returned 3m grading an average 6.44 grams per tonne gold from 3m including 1m at 9.71 g/t from 3m and 1m at 8.04 g/t from 4m.
Other recent stand-out RC and aircore drill intersections from Scorpio were 2m going 12.58 g/t gold from 20m including 1m at 23.59 g/t from 21m, 1m at 17.48 g/t from 29m, and 5m at 4.90 g/t from 26m including 1m at 10.56 g/t from 27m.
Horizon says the Scorpio discovery hole encountered shallow, high-grade, quartz vein mineralisation within a weathered ultramafic host rock.
Gold mineralisation at Scorpio remains open in all directions and the company plans to undertake follow-up RC drilling there.
At the newly discovered nearby Gemini prospect, notable follow-up RC drilling intercepts were 5m at an average grade of 4.37 g/t gold from 38m including 1m at 13.68 g/t from 38m, and 3m at 4.18 g/t from 53m.
Narrow high-grade zones of quartz stockwork mineralisation occur within weathered mafic rocks at Gemini, the company says.
Horizon has to date punched out 57 aircore holes for an aggregate drilling coverage of 2,097m and 21 RC holes totalling 1,653m to a maximum depth of 138m at the two prospects.
Additional step-out drilling along the new 3.3km-long mineralised trend has been slated to take place during the September and December quarters this year.
According to Horizon, the mineralised trend extends to the north and south.
The latest drilling forms part of the company’s massive 50,000m diamond, RC and aircore campaign this year probing a poultice of brownfield deposits and greenfield prospects across its 890-square-kilometre gold properties portfolio within a 75km radius of its proposed Boorara project development near Kalgoorlie.
It hopes to organically grow the global gold resource inventory of its project pipeline in the region that currently stands at a tick over one million ounces, with Boorara accounting for 448,000 ounces, and ultimately the potential gold production profile.
Horizon Minerals Managing Director, Jon Price said: “These latest drilling results continue to demonstrate the potential of this exciting 3.3km mineralised trend where historic drilling was too shallow in most areas to effectively test the bedrock. With the three-million-ounce Bardoc project to the north and the large-scale Paddington operation to the south, we look forward to further follow-up drilling.”
Horizon is currently working towards delivering a consolidated feasibility study on the flagship Boorara mining and processing operation and gold production hub incorporating Boorara and a handful of core surrounding satellite projects by the end of this year.
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By Matt Birney
