North Stawell Minerals (ASX:NSM) has extended ‘high-grade’ gold mineralisation more than 70m north at its Darlington prospect in Victoria.
Diamond drill hole NSD062 intersected 0.4m @ 17.1 grams per tonne gold (Au) from 98.6m, strengthening the potential for a continuous gold system following previously reported NSD057, which intersected 2.3m @ 29.18g/t Au from 108.2m, including 0.8m @ 82g/t Au.
Executive Director Bill Reid says the significance of the intercept in NSD062 is amplified by its ‘high-grade’ tenor within the Stawell corridor, where published resources are typically below 5g/t Au.
“If NSD062 represents part of a larger, coherent Mariners-style high-grade gold system, it has potential to deliver an exciting high-grade resource in Western Victoria,” Reid says.
“As demonstrated by the Mariners lodes at Stawell, there is potential for the Darlington mineralisation to extend to the deeper, controlling basalt and link to a larger system of Stawell-type gold.”
Reid adds that the company’s focus remains on Darlington due to repeated occurrences of ‘high-grade’ gold, noting similarities to the multimillion-ounce Stawell deposit.
The targeted mineralised trend remains open for 850m to the south, at least 200m to the north, and at depth.
Three additional parallel mineralised trends have also been identified around the historic Darlington mine, which previously returned 4m @ 10.77g/t Au from 60m and 6m @ 3.45g/t Au from 42m.
Meanwhile, at Darlington West, drilling returned 0.5m @ 6.01g/t Au from 283.35m and 1.2m @ 3.32g/t Au from 177.3m. A recently reported induced polarisation survey likewise identified an untested response 300m to the south.
Reid notes at least 20 more basalts have been identified across North Stawell’s tenement portfolio.
“Twelve of the basalts have demonstrated associated gold. Five of these are [company] priorities,” he says.
“Priorities include Wildwood, an 87,000-ounce gold resource open at depth and on other parts of the controlling Wildwood Basalt.”
North Stawell reports it has completed diamond drill hole NSD063, with assays pending.
North Stawell Minerals is a gold explorer focused on projects within Australia, while advancing its assets in the Stawell mineralised corridor in Victoria.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Images: North Stawell Minerals
