Wiluna Mining Corporation Limited (ASX: WMX) announced that the completion of the preliminary interpretation of the seismic data of its first-pass two-dimensional seismic survey at the Wiluna Mining Centre in WA has confirmed large prospective gold structures.
WMX said that the gold structures are shown to extend well beyond the limits of the current operation. The company said that multiple parallel Wiluna look-alike structures are exploration targets.
Wiluna said that a full-scale three-dimensional survey is now planned to assist with targeting future drilling. The company reported that drilling continues to deliver high-grade sulphides: 18.27m @ 5.09g/t at Happy Jack zone.
Wiluna Mining Centre
The Wiluna Mining Centre in Western Australia includes large sulphide resource at Bulletin, Essex, Calvert, Happy Jack, East Pit, and West Pit. The Wiluna Mining Centre also includes Regent and the Quartz Reef deposits of Golden Age, Galaxy, and Monarch.
Following the completion of 93,000m of resource development drilling in 2020, the Wiluna Mining Centre Mineral Resource Estimate increased to 60.2Mt @ 2.99g/t for 5.78Moz (above 1.0g/t cut-off), including a high-grade component of 26.9Mt @ 4.89g/t for 4.24Moz above 2.5g/t cut-off. Approximately 50% of the Mineral Resource is in the Measured and Indicated categories and 50% in the Inferred category.
On 16 March 2021, the Company published an updated underground Ore Reserve at Wiluna of 4.33Mt @ 4.74g/t for 661koz, an increase of 142% on the previous estimate.
Seismic survey at Wiluna Mining Centre
The company had recently undertaken a first-pass two-dimensional seismic survey with leading seismic survey contractor “HiSeis” to target further high-grade gold discoveries at the Wiluna Mining Centre.
WMX has now provided an encouraging update on highly significant results from the seismic survey.
Large prospective gold structures confirmed
Wiluna reported that the preliminary interpretation of the seismic data confirmed prospective large-scale structures at Wiluna Mining Centre.
The company said that the gold structures are shown to extend well beyond the current defined Mineral Resource limits. WMX said that multiple parallel Wiluna look-alike structures are exploration targets.
Wiluna said that a full-scale three-dimensional survey is now planned to map structures and assist with future drilling targeting.
The company said that further high-grade sulphide intersections were reported from an additional 33 holes and 8,700m of resource development drilling.
WMX said that together these results confirm the Company’s strong view that the Wiluna Operation will develop into a larger-scale, high-grade, and long-life gold mine.
High-grade results from Happy Jack
WMX announced further high-grade sulphides from Happy Jack, which is an important Stage 1 mining zone where redevelopment is in progress ahead of production.
Standout results included HJRD00033: 6.35m @ 4.99g/t including 1.80m @ 11.51g/t; and 3.80m @ 6.25g/t; HJRD00040: 4.50m @ 11.85g/t; HJRD00121: 9.93m @ 6.31g/t including 0.30m @ 100.00g/t; WURD0161: 18.27m @ 5.09g/t including 0.49m @ 47.60g/t; and 4.79m @ 6.03g/t; and WURD0164: 4.00m @ 5.10g/t; and 6.10m @ 4.97g/t including 2.10m @ 10.94g/t.
Starlight zone
Starlight Zone is located only 200m away from the current Happy Jack underground mine. The company has now reported the final assays from the drilling program at Starlight zone.
The company said that multiple high-grade narrow lodes were intersected in WURD0123, the latest and deepest hole drilled at Starlight to date.
Results included 3.45m @ 2.35g/t from 201.55m including 0.37m @ 9.46g/t; 5.60m @ 1.53g/t from 285.00m including 0.60m @ 5.69g/t; and 7.30m @ 3.01g/t from 346.30m including 1.60m @ 7.88g/t.
WMX said that modelling of results is underway with a view to extending the Starlight Mineral Resource down-plunge and along-strike, and further drilling is planned.
Next steps
The company said that follow-up resource definition drilling is likely, as mineralisation is interpreted to remain open in various directions.
Image Source: Wiluna Mining Corporation Limited
