Antares Metals (ASX:AM5) has returned rock chip sampling grades up to 65.20 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) at its Quinns Gold and Copper-Zinc Volcanic Massive Sulphide (VMS) Project in Western Australia.
The 94-sample program expanded known mineralisation at the Fennell gold prospect and identified the new Venture target, bringing the total number of drill-ready gold prospects across the 383km² tenure to three.
Rock chip results from the Fennell prospect include 65.20g/t Au, 16.63g/t Au, 8.77g/t Au, and 4.38g/t Au, with mapping expanding the mineralised zone from 130m to 250m wide over 150m of strike.
Managing Director Terry Topping says the company has been systematically testing the orogenic gold potential that previous operators left largely unexplored.
“Quinns has been hiding in plain sight. Recent operators have chased the VMS copper-zinc, so nobody had systematically tested the gold,” Topping says.
“This recent work has delivered 65g/t Au and has expanded the high grades at Fennell plus high grades at three more targets.”
The newly identified Venture prospect sits along trend from the historic Enterprise Mine, which produced 865 ounces at an average grade of 19.30g/t Au between 1897 and 1917. Soil geochemistry has defined a 600m by 250m gold anomaly at Venture, with peak values reaching 1,570 parts per billion Au.
At the Finlay prospect, rock chip sampling returned 1.67g/t Au, adding to previous results of 41.70g/t Au, 2.27g/t Au, and 3.70g/t Au across 90m of strike. A fourth target delivered 10.66g/t Au from sampling of dry blowing spoil and shallow workings.
Gold mineralisation at Quinns is controlled by structural settings within the Meekatharra greenstone belt, with banded iron formation-hosted quartz veins providing favourable traps for gold deposition.
Antares notes previous operators focused predominantly on the project’s VMS copper-zinc mineralisation.
“The Venture anomaly sitting along trend from a mine that recovered nearly 20g/t Au a century ago tells you how much of this belt has never been looked at properly,” Topping says.
“With the Burnakura mill 10km down the road and gold where it is today, the job now is simple: clear heritage, lock the targets, and get a rig turning.”
Antares plans to complete heritage surveys and finalise drill targeting at all three prospects ahead of maiden drilling. The company expects expanded soil sampling and geochemistry along the 20km of greenstone belt strike to generate additional drill targets.
It will also advance follow-up exploration at the Conglomerate Creek and Cromwell copper discoveries at its Mt Isa North Project in Queensland.
Antares holds 20km of greenstone belt strike through three granted exploration licences, four granted prospecting licences, four mining lease applications, and five exploration licence applications.
Antares Metals is an Australia-focused multi-commodity explorer advancing two district-scale exploration hubs in proven mineral provinces.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Images: Mining.com.au
