North Stawell Minerals (ASX:NSM) has identified new drill targets at the Darlington and Forsaken prospects in Victoria, following a six-line, 6.5km induced polarisation (IP) geophysical survey.
The strongest response was recorded at Darlington West, on the edge of an interpreted basalt body in an area not previously tested by drilling.
This new target sits approximately 300m south of previous gold intercepts, increasing confidence that the mineralised system extends beyond the area tested to date.
Executive Director Bill Reid says the survey has been a “technical and exploration success”.
“The chargeability anomaly at Darlington West is highly encouraging, with the survey highlighting known Stawell-type (basalt-margin) gold and identifying a second target 300m south,” Reid says.
The significant anomaly on IP Line 1000 returned the ‘highest’ amplitude chargeability response from the program and correlates to the interpreted margin of the Darlington West basalt.
This position strongly correlates with a highly prospective zone identified by numerical modelling completed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) using predictive 3D inversion shapes of undrilled basalts.
Previously reported intercepts at Darlington West include 0.5m @ 6.01g/t gold (Au) from 283.35m and 1.2m @ 3.32g/t Au from 177.3m.
Forsaken survey confirms targets through cover
At Forsaken, surveys detected repeatable geophysical responses through approximately 30–50m of cover and broadly align with interpreted bedrock structures. These structures provide additional areas for follow-up assessment and possible drill targeting.
“Four lines completed over Forsaken have demonstrated that basement signatures can be identified through 30–50m of unmineralised, conductive, post-mineral cover sequences to reveal coherent anomalies,” Reid says.
The structures in the IP data roughly correlate to the structural interpretation of regional magnetics, possibly identifying gold-prospective basement fault structures.
Previously reported assays at Forsaken include 10m @ 1.62g/t Au from 33m and 2m @ 3.08g/t Au from 23m.
The North Stawell Project comprises a 445km2 contiguous package of ground incorporating the gold-prospective structural corridor immediately north of the Stawell Gold Mine. A thin blanket of unmineralised sediment preserves the potential for near-surface repeats of the multimillion-ounce deposit.
The company says the success of the IP survey reintroduces a large-area, low-cost technique that can be applicable throughout the tenements where cover sequences mask mineralisation.
North Stawell Minerals is a Victoria-focused gold explorer, advancing a portfolio of tenements across the highly prospective Stawell Corridor.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: North Stawell Minerals
