Unity Metals (ASX:UM1) has commenced a 3,000m diamond drilling program at its O’Phlay Gold Project in eastern Cambodia.
The company says exploration has identified intrusion-related gold mineralisation similar to its Ngot project and Emerald’s (ASX:EMR) Okvau Gold Mine.
The 21-hole program focuses primarily on the Camp prospect, where recent geophysical surveys identified ‘robust’ conductivity and resistivity features.
O’Phlay exhibits extensive surficial mineralisation, though no modern drilling has been conducted there previously.
Founder and Managing Director Craig Mackay says the company is “excited” about its maiden drilling at O’Phlay, which is the second of its projects to be drilled since its January IPO.
“Our recent geophysical surveys there have identified a number of robust targets associated with areas of strong gold and arsenic-in-soil anomalous and historical gold mine workings,” he says.
“These workings have exposed broad zones of gold-bearing stockwork mineralisation.
“This is the most extensive surface mineralisation to be found so far in any of Unity’s Cambodian gold projects.”
The bulk of the program comprises 2,250m at the Camp prospect, initially testing two parallel, north-south-trending chargeability anomalies.
Previous vertical channel rock chip sampling from this mineralisation returned 5.5m @ 2.10 grams per tonne gold, with a horizontal stockwork width of approximately 40m.
The remaining 750m of drilling will test the Small Creek prospect, with historical gold workings located near a granodiorite intrusion contact.
Rock chip samples from this area have returned assays up to 37.10g/t gold.
Local contractor Corexplo Khmer Drill Services is conducting the program, with first assays anticipated in mid-August.
Unity Metals is a Southeast Asia-focused gold and copper explorer, with a portfolio of projects in Cambodia and Thailand.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Images: Unity Metals
