27 September 2016
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ASX Code: WCN
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High grade drilling results: Visible gold - Aucu Gold Deposit
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Highlights:
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Visible gold identified in outcrop and in drilling at the Quartz Zone, laboratory assays include:
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1 metre at 25.6 g/t gold from 13-14 metres within 3 metres at 9.8 g/t gold in ERC16-31
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1 metre at 41.6 g/t gold from 34-35 metres within 3 metres at 14.3 g/t gold in ERC16-32
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Eastern Gold Zone delivers 1.3 metres at 15.9 g/t gold from 36-37 metres in EGZ16-05
White Cliff Minerals Limited ("White Cliff" or the "Company") is pleased to report additional visible gold intersections from recent drill holes at Quartz Zone and the Eastern Gold Zone within the Aucu Gold project.
Visible gold was panned from interval 13-14 metres in drill hole ERC16-31 which was drilled adjacent to the outcropping quartz vein containing visible gold at the eastern end of the upper gold zone (reported in ASX Release 29-08-2016). Drill assays included 1 metre at 25.6 g/t gold within 3 metres at 9.8 g/t gold.
In addition, visible gold has also been panned from drill hole ERC16-32 which intersected the mineralised quartz vein at interval 34-35 metres depth on the same drill line. Drill assays included 1 metre at 41 g/t gold within 3 metres at
14.3 g/t gold.
8m at 55 g/t gold
Visible gold in outcrop
1m at 41.6 g/t gold
3m at 14.3 g/t gold
1m at 25.6 g/t gold
3m at 9.8 g/t gold
Visible gold in outcrop
Visible gold in outcrop
Figure 1: Map showing Quartz Zone and location of outcropping quartz veins, drill assay results and planned RC drilling
White Cliff Minerals Limited ABN 22 126 299 125 Suite 2, 47 Havelock Street, West Perth WA 6005, PO Box 368 West Perth WA 6872.
The Quartz Zone
The Quartz Zone occurs at the eastern end of the Eastern Gold Zone adjacent to the main porphyry intrusion. High grade gold mineralisation is largely confined to the quartz reef which ranges from 1-3 metres wide and can be traced at surface over 150 metres length. Visible gold has been panned from the quartz reef in four road cuttings covering
120 metres length (Figures 2 & 3). The quartz reef extends north-west and interpreted to be the same reef encountered in drill hole UGZ15-35 which intersected 8 metres at 55 g/t gold (Figure 1).
Visible gold panned from drill hole ERC16-32 34-35m (see figure 1)
Figure 2: Fine grained gold extracted from drill hole rock chip samples 34-35 metre interval (figure 1). Drill assay was
41.6 g/t gold within 3 metres at 14.3 g/t gold
Visible gold panned from outcrop quartz vein above ERC16-32 (see figure 1)
Figure 3: Fine grained gold extracted from a ~1 kilogram rock sample of the quartz vein outcrop above drill hole ERC16-32
Drilling has confirmed that the quartz reef is sub-vertical and has an orientation of 320 degrees and interpretation of magnetic data suggests that it has a total length of 450-510 metres. The quartz reef is offset by a major fault at the northwest end and by a porphyry intrusion at the southeast end (figure 1). Further drilling is required to establish the location of extensions to the reef.
The Company is continuing to drill the Quartz Zone on sections 50 metres apart down to 100 metres vertical depth. Three of the four planned sections have been completed. Due to the success of the drilling to date and the amount of visible being recovered at surface the Company has planned additional drilling to test the mineralisation further along strike in both directions.
The Company will endeavour to complete as much drilling as possible before autumn snow and rain makes drilling too difficult to continue.
Mineralised intervals greater than 0.5 g/t gold from the Quartz Zone and associated structures has been tabulated in Table 1.
Table 1: Summary of Quartz Zone mineralised intersections
Hole ID
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From
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To
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Interval
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Gold (g/t)
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Copper %
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ERC16-031
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9.0
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10.0
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1.0
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1.69
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0.09
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ERC16-031
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10.0
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11.0
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1.0
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25.54
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0.12
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ERC16-031
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11.0
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12.0
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1.0
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2.17
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0.08
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ERC16-032
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28.0
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29.0
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1.0
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2.09
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0.13
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ERC16-032
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33.0
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34.0
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1.0
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0.81
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0.10
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ERC16-032
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34.0
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35.0
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1.0
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41.64
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0.08
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EGZ16-012
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3.9
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4.5
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0.60
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0.81
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0.25
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EGZ16-012
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4.5
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5.5
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1.00
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0.52
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0.32
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EGZ16-012
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5.5
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6.2
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0.65
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0.90
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0.62
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EGZ16-012
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6.2
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7.1
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0.95
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0.90
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0.77
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EGZ16-012
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22.5
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23.0
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0.50
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1.99
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0.03
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EGZ16-012
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24.8
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25.5
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0.70
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1.94
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0.07
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EGZ16-012
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47.0
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48.0
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1.00
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2.22
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0.11
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EGZ16-012
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72.5
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73.0
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0.50
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0.98
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0.09
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EGZ16-012
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73.0
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74.0
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1.00
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0.72
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0.11
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EGZ16-012
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74.0
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74.4
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0.40
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0.57
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0.24
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EGZ16-012
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74.4
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75.5
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1.10
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0.55
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0.75
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EGZ16-012
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75.5
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76.5
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1.00
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1.26
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0.55
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EGZ16-012
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76.5
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77.0
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0.50
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0.65
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0.38
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EGZ16-012
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77.0
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78.0
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1.00
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1.42
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0.46
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EGZ16-012
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78.0
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78.5
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0.50
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1.95
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0.26
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EGZ16-018
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107.5
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107.8
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0.3
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0.56
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0.00
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EGZ16-019
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78.9
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79.4
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0.5
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0.82
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0.01
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EGZ16-023
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2.7
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3.1
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0.4
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0.61
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0.00
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EGZ16-023
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65.6
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65.9
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0.3
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0.88
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0.08
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The Eastern Gold Zone (EGZ)
Further west, drilling in the eastern gold zone has also delivered significant gold mineralisation with intersections of
1.3 metres at 15.9 g/t gold and 1 metre at 7.8 g/t gold as well as several intersections between 1 and 2 g/t gold.
Interpretation of the current drilling has substantially changed the geological model and it now appears likely that the high grade zones in drill holes UGZ15-32a and UGZ15-33 are part of the same mineralised zone that also includes the intersections in EGZ16-005 (summarised in Table 2).
Mineralisation also appears to be controlled by the intersection of the NW tending shear zones and bedding such that the zones containing high grade gold mineralisation form "lodes" or "shoots" that travel along the intersection line of the two structures, in this case about 25 degrees to the northwest. Drilling the main NW shear zones above and below these shoots has generally only encountered gold mineralisation between 1and 3 g/t.
Detailed mapping and drilling has identified that the EGZ consists of sheared sandstone that has been altered by ore fluids containing extensive pyrite and minor chalcopyrite. When exposed at surface, the sulphides breakdown to form the iron oxides limonite, goethite and hematite which are yellow, brown and red respectively. The distinctive colouration makes the shear zones easy to distinguish from the surrounding rock.
In contrast, the Quartz Zone is characterised by a central 1-3 metre wide quartz reef with open textures (voids, quartz crystals, holes) and intense sericite-carbonate+/- manganese alteration containing abundant free gold surrounded by a broad alteration zone containing malachite (copper oxide), goethite and limonite (after pyrite and chalcopyrite). The identification of visible gold in outcrop over elevation changes of at least 100 metres indicates that the mechanism of gold deposition is not related to the intersection of two structures and hence is not the same structure as the EGZ.
Further detailed drilling and mapping will be required to identify how the various mineralised zone relate to each other.
1.3m at 15.9 g/t gold
1m at 7.8 g/t gold
The Eastern Gold Zone
The Quartz Zone
Figure 4: Location map of drilling showing quartz zone and the eastern gold zone. Geology consists of: pink- granodiorite, tan-sandstones, dark yellow-limestones, light yellow-alluvium, yellow lines-NE faults and red-mineralised faults
Figure 6: Fine grained gold extracted from core in drill hole EGZ16-05. Note the small nugget on the left side of the picture. The drill assay was 1.3 metres at 15.6 g/t gold from 36-37 metres. The hole also contained other mineralised intervals