Alderan Resources (ASX:AL8) reports assay results from the first 6 holes in the recently completed reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at its Mizpah oxide gold prospect at the Detroit Project in the Drum Mountains region of western Utah, US has intersected ‘high-grade’ near surface oxide gold mineralisation.
The drilling program consisted of 22 holes (1,797m) focused on intersecting ‘high-grade’ near surface oxide gold mineralisation, and assay results for the remaining 16 Mizpah holes plus one hole at Drum are expected in coming weeks.
Results from intersections in holes 3MZRC22-001 to 3MZRC22-006 include:
- 3MZRC22-001- 3.9g/t Au @ 9.1m downhole
- 3MZRC22-001- 2.57g/t Au @ 12.2m downhole
- 3MZRC22-003- 3.79g/t Au @ 7.6m downhole
- 3MZRC22-004- 0.96g/t Au @ 16.8m downhole
- 3MZRC22-005- 3.96g/t Au @ 19.8m downhole
- 3MZRC22-006- 3.74g/t Au @ 41.1m downhole
All holes were sampled over 1.52m intervals and sent to ALS in Nevada for gold analysis.
Alderan Managing Director Scott Caithness said assays received for the first 6 RC drillholes at Mizpah have confirmed gold mineralisation occurs from surface in thicker zones than was delineated in the 1980s.
“The intersections range in thickness from 18m to 42m and grade 0.5g/t Au to 0.76g/t Au, which is higher grade than many heap leach gold deposits in the USA which are either already producing or proposed for production.
“these drilling results are an excellent start for the Mizpah prospect”
Particularly exciting is that within these mineralised intercepts are over 1g/t Au high-grade zones over thicknesses up to 12.2m. These drilling results are an excellent start for the Mizpah prospect.
“They provide significant encouragement not only for the remainder of the Mizpah drill assays but also for exploration planned on the Basin Main and Midway gold in soil anomalies to the north and south of Mizpah where assay results from infill soil lines are expected in November.
“Assays for the remaining 16 drillholes at Mizpah are expected early in Q4 2022.”
Mizpah previously drilled in the 1980’s, sits in the same rocks as the historical Drum gold mine 2km to the south, but unlike Drum it was never developed into a mining operation.
Alderan’s drilling confirms Mizpah gold mineralisation starts from surface with all holes traversing predominantly fine-grained siltstones and sandstones with lesser carbonates and marbles of the Tatow unit before moving into quartzite of the Lower Pioche Formation.
The downhole rocks are oxidised from surface to depths ranging from 7m to 32m and then typically move into a mixed oxidised-reduced (transition) zone and end in reduced (transition) zone and end in reduced (un-oxidised) sulphidic sediments.
Alderan expects to receive assay results for the remaining 16 RC drillholes at Mizpah, the re-drilled hole at Drum and the infill soil samples at Detroit in Q4 2022.
Pending assay results, the planned work at Detroit includes early ‘sighter’ metallurgical testing to obtain an indication of gold metallurgical recoveries and further drilling at Mizpah.
The environmental assessment required to obtain permitting for further drilling at Drum is underway.
Mizpah is located 2km north of the historical Drum heap leach oxide gold mine which produced 125,000oz of gold from ore grading 1.2g/t Au between 1984 and 1989.
Alderan drilled 8 diamond drillholes at Drum in H1, 2022 with all verification holes intersecting gold including 6.6m @ 2.5g/t Au within 17.8m @ 1.7g/t Au in hole 9DD22-03. Alderan also re-drilled Drum hole 9DD22-007 which was abandoned prior to reaching its target depth.
9DD22-007 intersected 15.9m @ 0.42g/t Au in waste dump material at the top of the hole and 5.9m @ 1.2g/t Au at the bottom of the hole.
The Mizpah deposit was drilled in the mid-1980s by Western States Minerals, the same company that discovered and operated the Drum mine, and it covers an area of approximately 450m by 250m.
Using the historical drilling data, Alderan completed drill hole constrained modelling of the Mizpah deposit which indicated exploration potential for approximately 40 to 100Koz of gold grading approximately 0.4g/t Au to 0.8g/t Au.
This modelling however highlighted that the deposit remains open down dip to the southwest and along strike to the north and south.
It should be noted that this exploration potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and that is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource.
Alderan drillholes DDMZ20-006 and 3DDMZ-001 drilled in 2020 and 2022, and are located 190m and 350m to the west-northwest of the deposit, intersected 83m @ 0.41g/t Au and 69.5m @ 0.18g/t Au respectively and indicate that Mizpah’s mineralising system is significantly larger than historically outlined.
Alderan’s RC drilling program aimed to intersect near surface, high-grade gold mineralisation.
Historical drillholes at Mizpah with high-grade, near surface gold mineralised intersections in close proximity to Alderan’s RC holes include:
- MZ-049: 10.7m @ 2.2g/t Au within 15.2m @ 1.6g/t Au from surface.
- MZ-87-32: 9.2m @ 2.1g/t Au within 22.9m @ 1g/t Au from 3m downhole
- MZ-87-048: 10.7m @ 2g/t Au within 16.8m @ 1.4g/t Au from 3.1m downhole
- MZ-87-52: 13.7m @ 1.7g/t Au within 29m @ 0.9g/t Au from 15.2m downhole with last assay 9.1g/t Au
- MZ-17: 10.7m @ 1.7g/t Au within 18.3m @ 1.2g/t Au from surface
Following Alderan completing soil sampling at Detroit in 2021, 4 distinct gold anomalous zones were identified within the target host stratigraphy, Mizpah and Drum plus the new Basin Main and Midway targets.
There are also a number of spot highs along lines which require further investigation.
The C-horizon soil samples were collected every 40m along 200m and 400m spaced lines, however lines were widely spaced and there were sampling gaps.
Alderan has now infilled the soil lines to 100m spacings and the gaps along lines in priority areas to better define the anomalies with results expected in November 2022.
Basin Main, which occurs over two lines 800m north of Mizpah deposits.
Midway has high order gold in soil assays which range from 0.034 to 0.189ppm Au and sit within a broader 240m anomalous zone along the line.
For reference, the Mizpah gold in soil anomaly, which Alderan drilling has now demonstrated sits above gold mineralisation which extends from surface to depths of more than 40m, has gold grades of 0.038 to 0.155ppm Au.
The Detroit Project is one of 4 Alderan projects in Utah, US.
It lies within the Detroit Mining District, approximately 175km southwest of Salt Lake City, and contains numerous historical copper, gold and manganese mines.
The district has been explored for copper and gold in the past by major mining companies such as Anaconda Copper, Kennecott, Newmont, BHP and Freeport-McMoRan but no one company was able to build a significant contiguous land position to enable district-wide modern exploration.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has also explored the area, sampling extensive mineralised jasperoids.
