Kingston Resources Limited (ASX: KSN) has announced the commencement of drilling at the Misima North target within its Misima Gold Project in PNG.
The company reported that Misima North drilling is underway targeting >4km untested strike, including structural targets with potential for repeats of the Umuna deposit.
It may be noted that this is the first drilling at Misima North in over 20 years, targeting shallow mineralisation in an area where rock chip sampling returned grades of up to 44.6g/t Au.
KSN said that the second diamond drill rig now on site, with drilling also underway at Umuna East.
Kingston reported that the drilling program is aimed at identifying shallow, high-grade gold mineralisation to contribute early ounces to future mining studies.
Misima gold project
The Misima Gold Project is an advanced exploration asset with significant scale underpinned by an existing 2.8Moz resource. Misima is located 625km east of Port Moresby in the Solomon Sea.
It hosts several exploration targets including Umuna Extensions, Misima North, Umuna East Side, Quartz Mountain, and Ginamwamwa.
Misima has a mineral resource estimate of 82.3Mt (45% Indicated, 55% Inferred) @ 1.1g/t Au, 5.3g/t Ag for 2.8Moz Au and 13.9Moz Ag.
Misima North target
Misima North is a 4km prospective target corridor trending NNW from the former Umuna open pit. The known anomalism and mineralisation at Misima North is indicative of supergene enrichment within structures adjacent to and within the Umuna Fault Corridor.
The company announced that the recent field work and structural interpretation has elevated the potential at Misima North, suggesting that previous drilling has not properly tested the shear position and subsidiary structures.
Promising results from previous exploration
Previous field exploration undertaken by Kingston at Misima North had included three short trenches dug within the prospective Ara area.
The trenches had successfully intersected significant gold grades in two contact areas 12m @ 3.76g/t Au, including grades up to 6.87g/t Au; and 15m @ 1.98g/t Au, including grades up to 4.01g/t Au.
The rock chip samples from prospective outcrop in the area also yielded individual spot grades as high as 44.6g/t Au from brecciated material displaying coarse euhedral galena (lead sulphide). Historically, gold mineralisation at Misima has a close association with elevated lead values.
Historical drilling at Misima North includes 8m @ 4.68g/t Au from 8m, 1.4km north of Umuna (hole MNR2220); 10m @ 2.36g/t Au from surface, 2.3km north of Umuna (hole MNR889); and 0m @ 3.2g/t Au from surface, 2.3km north of Umuna (hole MNR515).
The historical channel samples at Misima North include 119m @ 1.63g/t Au, 2.3km north of Umuna; 176m @ 1.12g/t Au; and 45m @ 0.88g/t Au 2.5km north of Umuna.
Small-scale historical underground production, circa 1940, was also recorded at the Misima North Gold Mine with sampling within one underground adit recording 16m @ 21.3g/t Au.
Initial DD program at Misima North
The company announced that its initial program in Misima North is the first drilling in over 20 years.
KSN reported that the drilling is expected to comprise of 10 diamond holes with planned depths of 80-130m, for total drilling of approximately 1100m.
Kingston said that the designed holes will be targeting a NW-trending breccia with anomalous surface geochemistry. It will also add data to the Company’s structural interpretation of the area to enhance the geological model and assist in planning of future holes.
Currently the controls on mineralisation are understood to be a combination of moderate to steep-dipping NE and NW trending structures, as well as brecciated limestone contacts and drusy quartz manganese oxide fracture fills and stock-worked veinlets.
The drill holes are planned along the footwall of a NW-trending structure within the interpreted extension of the Umuna Fault Corridor.
The company reported that a second diamond drill rig is also now on site, with drilling underway at Umuna East.
Management comments
Kingston Resources Limited Managing Director, Andrew Corbett said: “The Misima North area is a hugely exciting location, with a large prospective footprint along a 4km corridor and multiple high-quality targets. Historical underground production from the Misima North Gold Mine was shallow and occurred prior to World War 2, suggesting plenty of scope for new discoveries using modern exploration techniques. Our first target is this historical underground mining area.
Misima North represents the third new regional target outside of the existing 2.8Moz resource to be drilled by Kingston, and follows the discovery of the Abi prospect within the Quartz Mountain area last month. With a second diamond rig on site, we now have drilling underway at two key regional targets, with drilling also commenced on Umuna East.
Commissioning of the second drill rig occurred during September with additional support fleet and equipment arriving on the island during the third week of September. It was a great effort by our drilling contractor and the Kingston team to bring this rig on line ahead of schedule. We are now well placed to deliver a material uplift in drill metres and an acceleration in drill testing these exciting regional targets.”
