Alliance Resources Ltd (ASX: AGS) has announced a highly positive update on the auger soil sampling program completed at the Nepean nickel-gold project in WA.
The company reported that auger sampling has defined a 4.5 square kilometre area of gold in soil anomalism (+7.5 ppb Au threshold) at Nepean.
Nepean project
Nepean nickel-gold project is located 26 km southwest of Coolgardie, in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields.
The Project comprises one exploration licence (E15/1658). The tenement captures part of the southern end of the mafic-ultramafic greenstone sequence that hosts the historic Nepean Nickel Mine and Burbanks Gold Mine (not part of E15/1658).
The project is prospective for both komatiitic-hosted nickel sulphide mineralisation and greenstone-hosted orogenic gold mineralisation.
The area has been explored by companies including Metals Exploration Ltd (1968-1985), Killoran NL (1999-2005), and Bullabulling Operations Pty Ltd (2012-2018). All previous work has been appraised by Alliance.
During 2016 and 2017 Alliance discovered widespread gold in soil anomalism to the south of the Project.
Aircore drilling program
The company had then completed a 90-hole aircore drilling program for a total 4,392m in 2018. The aircore drilling was designed to test for low-level gold in regolith (weathered Archaean rock) anomalism beneath gold in soil sampling anomalism that can be used to vector towards a primary gold deposit. Drilling was completed on a 160m x 320m spaced grid.
However, the aircore drilling program was not able to report any significant gold in regolith beneath the previously defined gold in soil sampling anomalism and it was concluded that the gold in soil anomalism may be derived from the north.
New exploration license
The exploration licence E15/1658 was granted in November 2019.
Auger soil program
The company had completed a 250-sample auger soil program in March 2020 to extend the previously defined gold in soil anomalism. Sampling was completed using a 100 metre by 200 metre spaced grid.
Auger drilling was used to obtain a ~200g sample from the end of auger hole (between 0.3m and 2m depth) which was pulverised to produce a 10g charge prior to aqua regia digestion with ICP-MS finish.
Highly encouraging results
Alliance Resources announced that the results from the auger soil sampling program have more than doubled the size of the gold in soil anomaly (+7.5 ppb Au threshold), which now covers a 4.5 square kilometre area.
The results greater than or equal to 7.5 ppb Au were reported from multiple samples. These include NS002477 (11 ppb Au), NS002574 (8ppb Au), NS002478 (9ppb Au), NS002575 (9ppb Au), NS002479 (10ppb Au), NS002576 (10ppb Au), NS002480 (11ppb Au), NS002583 (8ppb Au), NS002481 (9ppb Au), NS002584 (9ppb Au), NS002482 (10ppb Au), NS002585 (9ppb Au), NS002483 (8ppb Au), NS002586 (11ppb Au), NS002484 (10ppb Au), NS002588 (11ppb Au), NS002486 (8ppb Au), NS002590 (10ppb Au), NS002487 (15ppb Au), NS002591 (10ppb u), NS002488 (10ppb Au), NS002592 (10ppb Au), NS002489 (15ppb Au), NS002593 (12ppb Au), NS002490 (16ppb Au), NS002594 (9ppb Au), NS002491 (31ppb Au), NS002595 (11ppb Au), NS002492 23ppb Au), NS002596 (11ppb Au), NS002493 (10ppb Au), NS002597 (14ppb Au), NS002494 (13ppb u), NS002598 (9ppb Au), NS002496 (12ppb Au), NS002599 (9ppb Au), NS002497 (9ppb Au), NS002600 (9ppb Au), NS002498 (8ppb Au), NS002606 (9ppb Au), NS002503 (11ppb Au), NS002607 (9ppb Au), NS002504 (17ppb Au), NS002608 (9ppb Au), NS002505 (13ppb Au), NS002609 (8ppb Au), NS002506 (13ppb Au), NS002610 (9ppb Au), NS002507 (12ppb Au), NS002612 (11ppb Au), NS002508 (11ppb u), NS002613 (8ppb Au), NS002509 (18ppb Au), NS002614 (10ppb Au), NS002510 (12ppb Au), NS002615 13ppb Au), NS002511 (9ppb Au), NS002616 (16ppb Au), NS002518 (9ppb Au), NS002617 (8ppb Au), NS002519 (8ppb Au), NS002618 (10ppb Au), NS002520 (8ppb Au), NS002619 (20ppb Au), NS002521 (13ppb Au), NS002621 (8ppb Au), NS002522 (14ppb Au), NS002626 (12ppb Au), NS002523 (10ppb u), NS002632 (9ppb Au), NS002526 (8ppb Au), NS002633 (8ppb Au), NS002529 (8ppb Au), NS002634 (9ppb Au), NS002536 (8ppb Au), NS002636 (8ppb Au), NS002538 (9ppb Au), NS002637 (9ppb Au), NS002539 (10ppb Au), NS002638 (11ppb Au), NS002540 (9ppb Au), NS002639 (12ppb Au), NS002541 (9ppb Au), NS002640 (13ppb Au), NS002542 (10ppb Au), NS002642 (25ppb Au), NS002543 (9ppb Au), NS002643 (21ppb Au), NS002544 (8ppb Au), NS002662 (8ppb Au), NS002546 (9ppb Au), NS002663 (8ppb Au), NS002549 (8ppb Au), NS002664 (13ppb Au), NS002550 (10ppb Au), NS002666 (13ppb Au), NS002551 (19ppb Au), NS002667 (11ppb Au), NS002552 (10ppb Au), NS002668 (12ppb Au), NS002558 (13ppb Au), NS002669 (11ppb Au), NS002560 (8ppb Au), NS002684 (9ppb Au), NS002563 (8ppb Au), NS002689 (11ppb Au), NS002565 (9ppb Au), NS002690 (9ppb Au), NS002566 (8ppb Au), NS002691 (8ppb Au), NS002567 (8ppb Au), NS002692 (8ppb Au), NS002568 (8ppb Au), NS002703 (11ppb Au), NS002569 (8ppb Au), NS002711 (8ppb Au), NS002570 (9ppb Au), NS002712 (10ppb Au), NS002572 (8ppb Au), NS002713 (14ppb Au), NS002573 (13ppb Au), and NS002718 (12ppb Au).
What’s next?
Alliance announced that it is planning an aircore drilling program to test gold in regolith anomalism, which can be used as a vector towards a primary gold deposit.