ASX-listed Okapi Resources has snapped up a tenement containing the historical Maggie Hays Hill gold workings and abutting its Mount Day project in the Lake Johnston greenstone belt in WA. The Perth-based company’s new ground about 450km east of Perth takes in an interpreted structural target and coincident gold in soil anomaly together with the old workings, which have yielded historical rock chip values up to 10.7 grams per tonne gold.
A review of previous exploration data generated from the areas covering the Mount Day project and extension tenement turned up an under-explored 10km-long auriferous zone of soil sampling results with a peak value of 88 parts per billion gold, according to the junior explorer.
Historic drilling within the immediately adjacent Mount Day intercepted a gold-bearing structure that returned gold values in several holes up to 2m going 11.04 grams per tonne gold from 26m depth.
Okapi recently completed an infill geochemical soil survey comprising 410 samples over the southern portion of the previously delineated gold in soil anomaly at Mount Day.
The company says the survey results confirm the earlier data for at least 1.5km of strike.
The Maggie Hays Hill workings consist of two lines of south-east-trending historic gold pits and shafts that occur in sheared amphibolites and minor felsic units.
Okapi says they are among the few historical workings in the Lake Johnston greenstone belt and previous exploration primarily zeroed in on the workings only.
The two project areas have been the focus of nickel and lithium exploration with limited follow-up on the gold potential.
The Lake Johnston greenstone belt hosts the Maggie Hays and Emily Ann underground nickel mines that lie about 10km from Okapi’s Mount Day project.
According to the company, the priority target zone in the new tenement sits adjacent to the historical workings but has not yet been adequately drill tested.
It is planning to kick off a detailed geological mapping, ground magnetics and infill soil program over the main target area shortly.
Okapi hopes the forthcoming field work will help it pinpoint prospects for possible future drilling.
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By Matt Birney
