Unity Metals’ (ASX:UM1) trenching has identified multiple zones of gold mineralisation outside existing drilling at its Cambodian projects, as the company plans to punch more holes into the ground at the O’Phlay Project next month.
Since listing and starting exploration early this year, Unity has been building its understanding of a potentially sizeable system similar to the intrusion-related gold (IRG)-style geology seen at Emerald Resources’ (ASX:EMR) Okvau gold mine, only 2.2km north of the Ngot Project.
Despite being on the fenceline of a company-making mine, Ngot — by accident of Cambodia’s history — had never been drilled.
O’Phlay shares important geological similarities with the nearby Ngot and Okvau, which is about 60km to the west.
In its latest exploration efforts, Unity has completed 1,063m of trenching across Ngot and O’Phlay, targeting surface geochemical anomalies and areas of artisanal gold workings.
Multiple zones of gold anomalism were identified at the Ngot Central, Ngot NE, and Srolao prospects, as well as O’Phlay’s Camp prospect.
Unity says the results have confirmed multiple zones of gold anomalism across both projects, providing additional information to guide future drill targeting.
New targets
The standout results came from Ngot Central, where top intervals included 6m @ 3.0 grams per tonne gold (Au) from only 52m, including 4m @ 4.4g/t Au, and 22m @ 0.9g/t Au from 142m, including 2m @ 7.7g/t Au from 146m. Meanwhile a trench at Srolao returned 6m @ 1.2g/t Au from 41m, including 1m @ 6.1g/t Au from 46m.
O’Phlay’s Camp prospect delivered 20m @ 0.2g/t Au from 46m.
Rock chip samples collected from exposed mineralisation in the trenches returned assays of up to 7.8g/t Au (from Ngot NE).
One of the more significant outcomes from the trenching was a better understanding of the gold mineralisation at Ngot NE.
Deeper understanding
The results confirmed that its initial drilling at the prospect was oriented sub-parallel to the gold mineralisation, Unity says. That means the earlier drilling was running broadly alongside the mineralised structures, rather than across them, potentially limiting its ability to properly test their extent.
The company now plans to reorientate drilling to test a major structural corridor extending towards the multibillion-dollar Okvau gold mine.
Building a golden footprint
A 20-hole Phase Two drilling program at O’Phlay remains on schedule to start in October, which will test the project’s gold potential beyond areas covered by the initial trenching.
“At both Ngot and O’Phlay, the trenches have exposed mineralised vein sets orientated at a high angle to the dominant structural attitude that we had previously defined,” says Unity Exploration Manager Shane Hibbird.
“This demonstrates the mineralisation systems at both projects are more of a stockwork-style than we expected and enhances the prospectivity in several areas.
“Back in 2012–2013, during my time as exploration manager in Cambodia at Okvau for Renaissance Minerals, we regarded any broad intervals of >0.1g/t gold in shallow trenching in the upper saprolite as significant and worthy of further investigation.
“Any narrow intervals of higher grade also gave encouragement for additional work. The results we have received in the Unity trenching at Ngot and O’Phlay are on par with those we chased up with drilling at Okvau.”
Unity Metals is an Australian gold and copper explorer focused on its portfolio of projects in Cambodia and Thailand.
Write to Christina Wagstaff at Mining.com.au
Main image: Unity Metals
