Australian gold exploration company Barton Gold (ASX:BGD) reports initial results from an ongoing drilling program have highlighted the growth potential at the Tunkillia Gold Project in South Australia.
Barton reports multiple ‘high-grade’ intercepts up to 23.5 g/t Au support potential for higher-grade zones, including in the new ‘Main Deeps’ target below the higher-grade ‘223 Central’ zone.
The company says the assays reported are from the 223 Deposit, and significant intercepts returned include TKB58 with 5m @ 2.69g/t Au from 243m, including 3m @ 5.15g/t Au from 253m and 5m @ 9g/t Au from 339m; and TKB65 with 1m @ 23.5g/t Au from 146m including 20m @ 0.88g/t Au.
Barton Gold Managing Director Alex Scanlon says: “We are very excited to see indications of not only depth extension, but entirely new gold zones hiding in the shadow of the mafic footwall dyke.
“We are on the right track for potential resource growth and expect a steady flow of additional assay results in January, February and March”
We are on the right track for potential resource growth and expect a steady flow of additional assay results in January, February and March.”
The company reports its July 2021 drilling confirmed a ‘higher grade’ gold zone in the centre of the Tunkillia Project’s 965,000-ounce 223 Deposit. Drilling in May confirmed a gold zone around 500m long at the Area 51 around 3.5km northwest of the 223 Deposit. Each target was identified by combining historical data with new predictive analytics.
In September, Barton reports it commenced a major drilling program targeting depth extensions of the 223 Deposit and the new Area 51 gold zone. Over 90% of the drilling informing the current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) that was completed between 1996 and 2008, during which period the USD gold price was mostly below $500 per ounce. As a result, depth extensions and regional targets at the 223 Deposit were poorly tested.
Barton states it has identified multiple target zones for resource expansion, including multiple potential plunging zones of ‘higher grade’ mineralisation. Drilling is also testing for new zones of mineralisation in the previously untested ‘shadow’ of the dykes at the footwall of mineralisation in the current mineral resource model.
Initial assays at the Main Deeps (Central), South Plunge, and Southern Targets support potential extensions of existing block model mineralisation to depth, the identification of broad (over 20m downhole depth) new zones of gold mineralisation in previously untested areas below the current block model, and the potential extension to depth of the ‘reasonable prospects’ open put constraining the current MRE.
Barton reports the central Main Deeps target underlies a portion of the current MRE model where the base of modelling indicates potential for ‘higher grade’ zones plunging to depth in the southerly direction. ‘High-grade’ assays validate the existing MRE and offer early support for these ‘high-grade’ targets.
These results include TKB0057 with 1m @ 18.1g/t Au from 270m and 2m @ 2.1g/t Au from 278; and TKB0058 with 5m @ 2.69g/t Au from 243m including 3m @ 5.15g/t Au from 253m and 5m @ 9g/t Au from 339m. Assays from several holes in the Main Deeps target zone remain pending
South Plunge assays results indicate ‘high-grade’ support for the resource model and a potential new over 20m thick zone of gold mineralisation immediately below the current MRE footwall. Hole TKB0064 intersected 6m @ 1.05g/t Au from 148m.
Barton reports southern target assays indicate potential block model depth extensions and as with South Plunge, an over 20m thick gold zone in a previously untested area below the current MRE footwall. A result recorded here includes hole TKB0070 12m @ 1.16g/t Au from 238m.
The company states drilling will continue at the 223 Deposit and Area 51, with further results expected from January through to March.
Barton Gold is an ASX-listed Australian gold exploration company with a total MRE of 1.1 million ounces, as well as a pipeline of exploration projects and brownfield mines, and 100% ownership of the only regional gold mill in the central Gawler Craton of South Australia.
The company’s projects include the Tarcoola Gold Project and the Tunkillia Gold Project.
Images: Barton Gold Holdings Ltd
