American West Metals (ASX:AW1) has reported further drilling expanding the mineral system at its West Desert Project in Utah, US, with visual results confirming zinc, lead, and molybdenum mineralisation over 1.6km.
Assays from drill hole WD26-02 confirm zinc, lead, gallium, and gold mineralisation with values up to 8.60% zinc (Zn), 1.10% lead (Pb), 19.70 grams per tonne gallium (Ga), and 1.30g/t gold (Au) associated with the Juab Fault and carbonate replacement deposits 350m south-east of the West Desert Deposit.
American West says the results provide a vector toward potential Apex Mine-style gallium-germanium mineralisation up-dip along the Juab Fault with further drilling planned to test the near-surface weathered zone.
Visual results from drill hole WD26-03, drilled approximately 370m east of WD26-01, indicate thick intervals of visual zinc, lead, and molybdenite mineralisation, including 66m combined total of visual sphalerite and galena within porphyry-hosted endo-skarn and 89m combined total of visual molybdenite-quartz-pyrite veining within the monzonite porphyry.
“These latest drilling results continue to demonstrate the exceptional scale and prospectivity of the mineral system, with drilling now confirming continuous porphyry and skarn mineralisation over more than 1.6km,” Managing Director Dave O’Neill says.
“The strong visual zinc, lead, and molybdenite mineralisation encountered in drill hole WD26-03 significantly strengthens our confidence in the potential of this emerging porphyry-skarn system.”
Drill hole WD26-02 intersected fault-hosted critical metal and carbonate-replacement deposit-style mineralisation approximately 350m south-east of the West Desert Deposit. The hole confirmed zinc, lead, and gallium mineralisation within the fault at approximately 391m downhole.
American West says mineralisation intersected below the Juab Fault is geologically similar to the Deep Zone of the West Desert Deposit.
The fourth drill hole is underway targeting skarn mineralisation to the south of drill hole WD26-03, and the eastern extension of indium-zinc-gold mineralisation encountered in WD26-01, which returned 108m @ 25g/t indium (In) and grades up to 14.30% Zn and 4.79g/t Au.
Laboratory assays for the visual estimates are expected within three to five weeks. The company says metallurgical samples from historical waste dumps are also being prepared for laboratory testing.
The project is located 160km south-west of Salt Lake City in Utah, US. The deposit contains a JORC 2012-compliant mineral resource estimate of 33.70 million tonnes @ 3.83% Zn, 0.15% copper (Cu), 9.08g/t silver (Ag), and 20.01g/t In.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: American West Metals
