Australian exploration company Barton Gold (ASX:BGD) has intercepted multiple broad gold intersections that support the potential to extend the depth of the Tunkillia Gold Project in South Australia.
The company says a major drilling program targeting depth extensions was launched at the 223 Deposit, and the Area 51 gold zone in September 2022. In this drilling, Barton identified multiple target zones for resource expansion, including multiple potential plunging zones of ‘higher’ grade mineralisation.
Barton also notes that this drilling is also testing for new zones of mineralisation in the previously untested ‘shadow’ of the dyke acting as the footwall to mineralisation in the current resource model.
‘Significant’ intercepts recorded in assays for the final 37 reverse circulation (RC) holes include TKB0083 with 9m @ 2.50g/t Au from 61m, including 20m @ 1g/t Au from 263m; TKB0076 with 9m @ 1.38g/t Au from 309m, including 17m @ 1.05g/t Au from 335m; and TKB0072 with 9m @ 1.74g/t Au from 296m, including 14m @ 1.07g/t Au from 312m.
Commenting on the drilling results, Barton Gold Managing Director Alex Scanlon says: “These results support the potential extension of the 223 Deposit below historical drilling and the current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) pit shell.
We are targeting an April MRE update for the 223 Deposit, and will quickly follow this up with further drilling targeting low hanging fruit as we advance Tunkillia towards feasibility studies.
“RC drilling remains underway at the new Area 51 regional prospect”
RC drilling remains underway at the new Area 51 regional prospect. We expect to report these assays, along with about 2,200m diamond drilling assays from the 223 Deposit and Area 51, during February, March, and April.”
Scanlon notes that most of the drilling informing the 2020 mineral resource was done from 1996 to 2008, when the USD gold price was mostly below US$500 an ounce.
He says the key takeaway is that these results are a significant [further] validation of Barton’s thesis of significant mineral / extension potential in untested areas below and around the current mineral block model; and the inherent growth potential in the 223 Deposit – before considering the three new satellite gold zones identified during the past 14 months.
The company says assays published on 15 December 2022 indicated ‘higher-grade’ depth extensions and broad new gold zones below the current 2020 MRE pit shell. New assays from the Mains Deep (Central) and South Plunge targets confirm multiple broad intersections outside the 2020 block model in previously untested areas, located about 25m to 150m below the open pit constraining the 2020 resource model.
Other shallower and ‘higher-grade’ intercepts support potential widening of the pit shell, which Barton notes could potentially benefit any early stage operations.
Barton reports the South Plunge target has now returned multiple assays across a long key target area about 500m below the 2020 MRE pit shell.
Together with historical and recently published drillholes new assay results indicate broad and potentially continuous zones of mineralisation along a strike extent of about 500m. The company says this mineralisation sits about 25m to 150m below the currently modelled 2020 MRE pit shell.
Barton reports these results provide further support of the company’s theses that ‘significant’ zones of mineralisation are likely to exist in historically poorly tested areas outside, and below the 2020 block model.
Barton Gold is an ASX-listed gold exploration company operating in the Gawler Craton region of South Australia. The company’s projects include the Tarcoola Gold Project, the Tunkillia Gold Project, and the Central Gawler Mill.
Images: Barton Gold Holdings Ltd