ASX-listed explorer, Kairos Minerals has launched a significant follow-up reverse circulation drilling campaign at its Mt York gold project about 100km south of Port Hedland in WA’s Pilbara region. The Perth-based company has two rigs going gangbusters at the project’s three main deposits and an array of nearby targets where it plans to complete an initial 150 holes for about 20,000m of drilling coverage.
Mt York takes in the Mt York, Iron Stirrup and Old Faithful gold deposits and a combined mineral resource of 20.9 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.3 grams per tonne for 873,000 ounces of contained gold down to a vertical depth of 195m.
Of that total the Mt York deposit accounts for an inferred and indicated 17.26 million tonnes grading an average 1.26 g/t gold for 697,700 ounces.
Kairos says current drilling – the first major program to be undertaken at Mt York since 2018 – is aimed at expanding zones of known gold mineralisation and increasing resource confidence with further infill drilling.
The pick of the near-surface gold hits from a smaller 16-hole round of RC drilling totalling 2,124m at Mt York carried out late last year was 5m at 2.67 g/t gold from 60m including 3m at 3.78 g/t from 61m and 1m at 6.37 g/t from 63m at the Old Faithful deposit.
Old Faithful, Iron Stirrup and Mt York will be probed for extensions to gold mineralisation both along strike and down-dip.
The company will also test the Green Creek, Iron Stirrup North, Iron Stirrup South, Zakanaka, Mt York Northwest extension, Gilt Dragon and Batavia prospects.
According to Kairos, additional targets are likely to be identified following a soil geochemical sampling survey that is in progress.
Kairos Minerals Executive Chairman, Terry Topping said: “We are already 3,600m into a major 20,000m program, with drilling focusing on infilling existing resources, extending known mineralisation and potentially making new discoveries.”
“Two RC rigs are operating, with both Ausdrill and Mt Magnet Drilling supplying drilling services. Given the very tight situation for drill rigs, support crews and services at the moment, this is an outstanding result and a credit to our exploration team for putting all the logistics in place.”
While drilling is in full swing, management says the company is also in the process of compiling a JORC-compliant “exploration target” for the Mt York project’s existing deposits and primary prospects that it expects to finalise in coming weeks.
Kairos has a seat on the crowded Pilbara gold bandwagon headed by De Grey Mining and its exciting Hemi discovery. Also on board are Calidus Resources with its developing Warrawoona gold project, Novo Resources and its producing Nullagine gold operations, Kalamazoo Resources and its advanced Ashburton project and Capricorn Metals with its new Karlawinda gold mine.
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