Alto Metals (ASX:AME) has identified additional near-surface gold targets at the Alpha Domain, located within the Sandstone Gold Project in the East Murchison Mineral Field.
The Western Australia-based gold explorer has continued an ongoing geological review and fieldwork over the 20km-long northwest to southeast trending gold corridor within the Alpha Domain.
Alto reports an RC rig is expected to begin drilling at Indomitable in the coming days which will test the potential of interpreted ‘high-grade’ mineralised structures highlighted in results announced at the end of 2022.
Drilling is also planned to test strike extensions at Indomitable East and Musketeer, as well as first-pass drilling at new targets Cessna and Duke of Windsor prospects.
The company also reports work on updating the current Sandstone Project Mineral Resource Estimate of 635,000 ounces @ 1.6g/t Au is progressing and remains on track to be completed this month.
New target Cessna is located about 1km to the south of Tiger Moth and appears to be a southern extension of the Indomitable Camp. Historical rotary air blast (RAB) and aircore (AC) drilling here reported ‘significant’ gold mineralisation which remains open and has not been followed-up.
Historical results at Cessna include hole CSA0010 with 12m @ 3.3g/t gold (Au) from 60m, ending in mineralisation; CSA0011 with 19m @ 1.5g/t Au from 40m; and CSA0012 with 15m @ 1.3g/t Au from 5m.
Alto reports ithas identified rock chips with visible gold at New Prospect, located 500m north of Cessna
The company says these samples have not been assayed, which will be required to determine the size and grade of mineralisation reported.
At the Eclipse and Duke of Windsor target located 2km southeast of Cessna, historic underground mining completed in the early 1900s recovered about 860 ounces at a grade of about 17g/t Au. Alto reports the gold mineralisation at this target is hosted within quartz reefs and has not been adequately tested by drilling.
The company notes Western Mining Corporation completed a small reverse circulation (RC) drill program but they were unable to drill the most prospective locations as it did not hold the tenement. Troy Resources (ASX:TRY) also completed a small RAB program, however Alto reports the drilling did not successfully target the quartz reefs.
Alto reports the Bollinger target is located 2km north of Indomitable and appears to be an extension of the Indomitable Camp. Historical drilling intersected potentially ‘significant’ gold mineralisation which has not been ‘adequately’ followed-up. In 2020, the company completed 3 RC holes which included a previously announced shallow result of 28m @ 2.1g/t Au from 4m.
The Indomitable East Extensions target is located 1.5km southeast of the Indomitable East prospect where several historical drillholes intersected gold mineralisation. Results recorded here include HKP327 with 11m @ 3.3g/t Au from 24m; and HKP415 with 19m @ 0.9g/t Au. The company says the mineralisation appears to be associated with BIF in a similar geological setting to Indomitable East.
Alto reports the Bulletin target is located about 5km north of Vanguard on the eastern limb of the Sandstone Greenstone Belt within an area of folded and sheared metabasalt, metadolerite, chert, and BIF. Mineralisation is defined over an area of about 1.5km by 1.5km and appears to be associated with quartz reefs and goethite altered quartz stringers within a porphyry intrusive, and to the south is associated with BIF.
The Bull Oak target is located about 10km northwest of Indomitable towards the centre of the Sandstone Greenstone Belt. This granite target is described as a porphyritic intrusion with a strike length of about 500m and a width of up to 150m, with relatively steep dipping boundaries that have not been defined at depth.
Alto says historic underground drilling targeting ‘higher-grade’ reefs was carried out between 1904 and 1943 which produced 10,617 ounces at 27g/t Au. The company also notes Herald Resources carried out a small open pit mining operation which recovered 9,701 ounces at 1.87g/t Au before ceasing mining.
Alto Metals is a Western Australia-based gold exploration company focused on its flagship Sandstone Gold Project which covers 900km-square of the Archaean Sandstone Goldfield about 600km north of Perth.
Images: Alto Metals Ltd
