Alderan Resources (ASX:AL8) reports the successful completion of a reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at its Mizpah oxide gold prospect, at the Detroit Project in the Drum Mountains region of western Utah, US.
A total of 22 holes (1,797m) were drilled with the focus on intersecting ‘high-grade’ near-surface oxide gold mineralisation.
Alderan has submitted all samples to the laboratory for gold analysis with results expected early in Q4 2022. Drill logs are being finalised.
Planned work at Detroit includes infill soil sampling to better define the gold in soil anomalies identified from the broadly spaced 200m x 40m sampling program completed 2021 and early ‘sighter’ metallurgical testing to obtain an indication of gold metallurgical recoveries.
Mizpah is only 2km north of the historical Drum oxide gold mine which Alderan drilled 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 9DD22-003.
Gold mineralisation at the prospect remains from surface
Mizpah, which was drilled in the 1980s, sits in the same rocks as Drum but unlike the historical mine, it was never developed into a mining operation.
The Mizpah historical holes were drilled to an average depth of only 28m and did not evaluate the potential for primary gold mineralisation below the oxide zone.
There are 40 historical holes which have final assays grading more than 0.5g/t Au, well above the cut-off grade for oxide heap leach gold deposits in the US, with 20 of these having last assays grading more than 1.0g/t Au. The highest final assay down an historical hole is 9.1g/t Au in hole MZ-87-52.
All of Alderan’s drillholes have traversed the oxide zone before ending in primary un oxidised sediments.
Commenting on the results, Alderan Managing Director Scott Caithness said: “The Mizpah reverse circulation drilling was successfully completed in under three weeks which has proved a very efficient and cost-effective programme for the company.
The holes indicate that oxidation extends to 7-30m from surface and is followed by a mixed oxide-primary transitional zone.
They typically end in in un-oxidised primary quartzites containing fine grained pyrite.
Samples have been submitted for analysis and initial gold assays are expected in early Q4, 2022.”
Alderan completed historical drillhole constrained modelling of the Mizpah deposit which indicated exploration potential for 40-100,000oz of gold grading 0.4-0.8g/t Au, however the deposit remains open down dip to the southwest and along strike to the north and south.
The company reports that 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 it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource.
Alderan drillholes DD-MZ-20-006 and 3DDMZ-001, 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.
Historical drill holes at Mizpah with high-grade, near-surface gold mineralised intersections in close proximity to Alderan 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 @ 1.0g/t Au from 3.0m downhole
- MZ-87-048: 10.7m @ 2.0g/t Au within 16.8m @ 1.4g/t Au from 3.1m downhole
The Detroit Project is one of four Alderan projects in Utah. It lies within the Detroit Mining District, some 175km southwest of Salt Lake City, and contains numerous historical copper, gold and manganese mines.
