Kin Mining NL (ASX: KIN) has announced encouraging final assay results from the drilling program at its Cardinia Gold Project (CGP) near Leonora in WA.
The company reported that final assay results returned from the December 2019 drilling program identified new near surface, broad zones of mineralisation with occasional high-grade intersections at Lewis East and broad alteration zones of anomalous mineralisation at Lewis West.
Significant intercepts from Lewis East includes 4m at 11.6g/t Au from 8m; 53m at 1.3g/t Au from 4m to BOH; 13m at 1.0g/t Au from 24m to BOH; 32m at 1.1g/t Au from 0m; and 16m at 1.3g/t Au from 8m.
Significant hits from Lewis West includes 16m at 0.38g/t Au from 0m; 16m at 0.35g/t Au from 0m; and 16m at 0.30g/t Au from 0m.
KIN said that the follow-up exploration programs will target the area associated with the Lewis Fault.
Kin Mining said that all recent and historical results to be analysed to inform the next CGP drilling program.
Cardinia gold project
Cardinia gold project (CGP) represents the greater portion of the wider Leonora Gold Project located in the Mt Margaret Mineral Field in the centre of the Eastern Goldfields, Province of West Australia.
Cardinia is separated into the Bruno-Lewis system (which includes Kyte), and the Helens system (which includes Fiona and Rangoon). There is a total of 16 deposits within the CGP.
Significant prospects within CGP includes Lewis East, Cardinia west, Comedy King, Black Chief South, Snowden Well, and Lewis West.
Drilling at Cardinia
The company had recently completed a drilling program in December 2019 at prospects located within 5km of the processing plant site at the Cardinia Gold Project.
The program consisted of 7,881 metres of AC and 880 metres of Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling across six key target areas. They are Comedy King, Snowden Well, Cardinia Hill, Lewis East, Black Chief, and Lewis West prospect.
Lewis East prospect
The Lewis East prospect is highlighted by a 1.4km-long surface gold anomaly, defined by shallow (2-3m) historic RAB and vacuum drilling. It is situated just 1km from the proposed Cardinia processing plant and 300m to the east of the proposed Lewis Pit.
The December 2019 AC drilling consisted of a number of lines with drilling oriented to target the northeast-dipping lodes observed in the nearby Lewis Trial pit. Forty-seven (47) holes were completed.
Lewis West prospect
The Lewis West prospect is a large gold in soil anomaly west of the Lewis deposit. It is interpreted that the soil anomalism is situated above northeast-dipping lodes, similar to those seen at Bruno, Lewis and Lewis East.
Two lines of AC drilling totalling 43 holes for 641m was completed beneath the extensive soil anomaly.
High-grade results reported
The company reported that final assay results were returned from the December 2019 drilling program. KIN said that the results have identified new shallow, large, ore grade zones of mineralisation at Lewis East and broad areas of anomalous alteration mineralisation at Lewis West.
KIN said that the results from this program and a reinterpretation of historical drill results show consistent high-grade vein mineralisation and broad alteration halo mineralisation associated with the NE trending Lewis Fault and other parallel subsidiary faults.
The company reported that this new geological interpretation indicates a large mineralising system exists at Cardinia.
Lewis East
Significant results from Lewis East include 4m at 11.6g/t Au from 8m (LE19AC012); 53m at 1.27g/t Au from 4m to bottom of hole (BOH) (LE19AC007); 13m at 1.03g/t Au from 24m to BOH (LE19AC009); 28m at 0.67g/t Au from 8m (LE19AC034); 32m at 1.10g/t Au from 0m (LE19AC036); 7m at 1.53g/t Au from 28m to BOH (LE19AC039); and 16m at 1.33g/t Au from 8m (LE19AC044).
KIN said that the broad alteration zone showing numerous ore grade intersections in adjacent holes at Lewis East is consistent with historical drill intersections. The company said that the geological logging confirmed the interpretation of epithermal vein style and potassic alteration mineralisation at Lewis East.
Lewis West
Important hits from Lewis West include 16m at 0.38g/t Au from 0m (LW19AC012); 16m at 0.35g/t Au from 0m (LW19AC013); 16m at 0.30g/t Au from 0m (LW19AC014); 12m at 0.31g/t Au from 0m (LW19AC015); and 4m at 0.93g/t Au from 8m to BOH (LW19AC031).
The company said that Lewis West results show broad zones of anomalous mineralisation between historical high-grade intersections and recent high-grade rock chip results.
What’s next?
The company reported that all results are being evaluated, integrated with historical drill data, and other multi element information which characterises the alteration and mineralisation style.
Kin Mining said that drill programs will be planned following this important geological interpretation and targeting work.
The company said that the key target areas are likely to include extensions of high-grade vein style mineralisation at Comedy King; strike and depth extensions at Cardinia Hill; infill drilling at Lewis East; and extension drilling of high grade vein intersections in Lewis West and Golden Dolerite.
KIN said that further targets at other locations adjacent to the Lewis Fault system will also be tested as time and drill availability allows.
Management comments
KIN’s Managing Director Andrew Munckton said: “The 2019 aircore drilling program completed in December has been highly successful and supports our key objective of identifying new zones of mineralisation with potential to enhance the current CGP mine plan as outlined in the Pre-Feasibility Study completed in mid-2019.
The campaign has confirmed our belief that the Cardinia area holds substantial zones of high-grade gold mineralisation within broader zones of alteration containing lower grade mineralisation in addition to the Mineral Resources that have previously been defined.
The exploration team have made significant new discoveries at Cardinia Hill, Comedy King and Lewis East during this campaign which was the first substantial exploration effort outside the established deposits in over six years within the region and the first in the Cardinia area for more than a decade.
These latest results confirm the presence of large zones of epithermal vein style mineralisation with occasional high grade gold zones within broader areas of lower grade alteration at Lewis East. The Lewis West AC results also show a strike continuous zone of broad alteration mineralisation consistent with the narrow veins mapped at surface at Golden Dolerite that returned high grade rock chip results.
The results to date are indicative of a large mineralised system at Cardinia consistent with the crosscutting Lewis Fault and its other parallel subsidiary faults. These structures will be the key target areas in our future exploration program.
Cardinia Hill, Comedy King and Lewis East appear to be large scale zones of gold mineralisation which remain open and warrant follow-up drilling. The close proximity to the processing plant site only serves to further enhance the results. We look forward to this follow up work commencing in the March quarter 2020.”