Great Western Exploration (ASX:GTE) is advancing preparations for a drilling program at the Juggernaut volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) mineralised system, within the Yerrida North Project in Western Australia.
This news comes after further interpretations defined six individual drill targets at Juggernaut, with the company determining Juggernaut as having VHMS copper-gold camp potential.
VHMS-style mineralisation is often formed in clusters of deposits and Great Western, which has a market capitalisation of $17.97 million, believes these six targets represent this mineralisation characteristic.
All six targets — namely Archer, Falconer, Seymour, Smith, Howard, and Palmer — are defined by each of their individual stratigraphic, structural, and geochemical attributes.
Seymour and Howard are interpreted to be in a folded vent horizon, within the copper lag soil anomaly.
The Palmer, Smith, and Archer targets are also within the interpreted vent horizon rocks, and within a zone of lead-zinc lag soil anomalism with an interpreted north-south trending major regional structure separating the targets.
Meanwhile, the Falconer target is within the copper lag-soil anomaly, which lies along the interpreted north-south regional feature, which is believed to be a dilation zone for vent formation and sulphide accumulation.
Great Western says the prospectivity of these targets is demonstrated by the confluence of multiple geological attributes, including geochemical anomalism, mapped geological attributes and associated textures, and modelled structural regime.
The attributes of the targets are also interpreted to have a high potential for a VHMS discovery to be made, similar to DeGrussa in the adjacent Bryah Basin.
Sandfire Resources (ASX:SFR) first discovered DeGrussa in 2009, with the first diamond drillhole returning 47m @ 5.3% copper.
At Great Western’s Oval and Oval South Copper-Gold projects, drilling has begun and the first hole is expected to be completed in late November. The second drillhole is anticipated to be completed in December 2024.
The company says assay results are expected six to eight weeks after each hole is completed.
Great Western Exploration is a copper, gold, and base metal explorer with a large land position in Western Australian regions, including the Yilgarn Craton and Earaheedy Basin.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Great Western Exploration
