White Cliff ramps up gold exploration at Reedy South

Things are starting to get interesting for White Cliff Minerals in the Goldfields of WA with results from two gold drilling campaigns at the Reedy South project soon to be tabled as the company looks to grow its current resource base. New targets for follow-up testing in the second quarter and throughout the year are also being generated.

White Cliff kicked off a drilling campaign at Reedy South last month to test for depth extensions and grow the existing resource and this week the campaign can to an end with all samples now off to the lab for analysis. A total of six reverse circulation holes for 1,546 metres have been drilled with results anticipated for release in early May.

Located some 40 kilometres from Cue in WA’s renowned Goldfields region, Reedy South covers 272 square kilometres of tenure within the gold-rich Reedy Shear Zone. Numerous high-grade gold mines with vertical plunging mineralisation extending to depths below 500 metres are located within this geological structure, including the South Emu-Triton mine immediately north of the project and the Paddy’s Flat mine both operated by ASX-listed gold mining titan, Westgold Resources.

Historic workings and drilling at the Pegasus and King Cole prospects at Reedy South highlight its potential. Numerous impressive hits including 12m going 5.26 grams per tonne gold from 34 metres and 7m at 10.86 g/t from 30m were all recorded from historic drilling.

In October last year, the company announced a maiden mineral resource of 779,000 tonnes grading 1.7 g/t gold for a total of 42,400 ounces of the precious yellow metal. According to management, the style and controls of the mineralisation are similar to the South Emu-Triton mine and there is still scope to significantly grow the resource.

The company wasted no time in testing the extensions at depth and along strike at King Cole and Pegasus through a 4,500m drilling campaign in November last year. Numerous significant hits were returned during that campaign including 7m at 3.16 g/t gold from 53m, 11m at 2.29 g/t from 21m and 11m at 3.19 g/t from 51m. Intriguingly, White Cliff reported that drilling confirmed the mineralisation extends to at least 125 metres below surface.

A total of 214 anomalous single metre samples from the November campaign have now been submitted to ALS Laboratories for fire assays and results are anticipated to be released in May.

Meanwhile, White Cliff continues to bank new high-priority targets at Reedy South for follow-up throughout the year.

Following a recently completed aeromagnetic survey in conjunction with geological mapping, the company has now executed an extensive soil geochemistry program over six prospects. A total of 534 soil samples and 47 rock chip samples have been collected for analysis and will no doubt be highly anticipated.

Some five kilometres to the south of Pegasus, 176 samples spaced 100m apart were collected on 200m spaced EW lines at the Reedy Extended prospect that runs along one kilometre of strike length of the Reedy Shear Zone.

To the east of Pegasus lies the Cracker Jack prospect where past drilling intercepted high-grade quartz vein mineralisation but left some 200m of strike and down dip potential untested. Here, 24 rock-chip samples from historic workings were gathered.

To the south of Cracker Jack, 229 samples and 17 rock chips were amassed at the McCaskill Hill prospect identified through past shallow drilling. Strike and down dip potential remain untested according to management.

A further seven kilometres in a south-westerly direction at Robin Well, the company collected 43 soil samples spaced 100m apart on 200m spaced EW lines. 6 rock chip samples were also taken from outcropping quartz veins there.

Finally, at the Nallan prospect some 2km along strike from Robin Well, another 86 samples spaced 100m apart were gathered at the location of an untested regional magnetic feature.

It is about to start raining results for White Cliff and with gold continuing to trade at stellar levels, it will not take much for the company to quicken a few pulses if the results from Reedy South continue to deliver.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au