Antipa Minerals Ltd (ASX:AZY) has intersected high-grade gold in drilling at its 100%-owned Minyari Dome Project in Western Australia’s Paterson Province, demonstrating the potential for resource growth.
The first phase of the Minyari’s exploration program for 2022 was completed in mid-August comprising:
- a 10,000-metre reverse circulation (RC) drilling program to test high-priority resource and greenfield targets.
- a 3,000-metre diamond core drill program to test high-priority resource targets.
- a project-scale high-resolution Airborne Gravity Gradiometry (AGG) survey to assist in drill targeting and regional 3D geological modelling.
Map of the southern region of the Minyari Dome Project showing the resource locations, plus Minyari North, Chicane and other prospect locations, maximum downhole gold drill results and two priority soil geochemical anomalies.
Phase 1 highlights
Assay results for 5,052 metres of the Phase 1 Minyari drilling include:
Minyari resource definition:
- 17 metres at 11.2 g/t gold, 0.62% copper and 3.1 g/t silver from 419 metres downhole in 21MYCD0340 (2022 diamond tail);
- 15.5 metres at 2.4 g/t gold and 0.15% copper from 455.6 metres downhole in 21MYCD0340 (2022 diamond tail), including 1-metre at 25.3 g/t gold, 1.32% copper and 4.6 g/t silver from 455.6 metres; and
- 73 metres at 0.94 g/t gold and 0.26% copper from 113 metres downhole in 22MYCD0354, including 6 metres at 3.4 g/t gold and 0.26% copper from 180 metres.
- 4 metres at 6.0 g/t gold, 0.65% copper and 2.0 g/t silver from 534.5 metres downhole in 21MYCD0340 (2022 diamond tail), including 0.84 metres at 18.7 g/t gold, 2.32% copper and 6.2 g/t silver from 534.5 metres;
- 4 metres at 3.6 g/t gold, 0.30% copper and 1.6 g/t silver from 153 metres downhole in 22MYC0349, including 1-metre at 11.2 g/t gold, 1.09% copper and 5.9 g/t silver from 154 metres; and
- 6 metres at 2.8 g/t gold and 0.26% copper from 83.0 metres downhole in 22MYC0345, including 1-metre at 10.4 g/t gold, 0.76% copper and 1.6 g/t silver from 83 metres.
Chicane Prospect - 200 metres north of WACA Deposit and 450 southwest of Minyari Deposit:
- 8 metres at 2.9 g/t gold from 293 metres downhole in 22MYC0371, including 3 metres at 6.8 g/t gold from 293 metres.
- 6 metres at 2.3 g/t gold from 166.0 metres downhole in 22MYC0356, including 3 metres at 4.33 g/t gold and 0.08% copper from 167 metres.
Minyari North prospect diamond core drill hole 22MYD0518 (261.5 to 266.2 metres) displaying abundant amphibole ± clinopyroxene ± sulphide stockwork 'ladder' veining with associated intense albite ± sericite alteration halos.
“Pipeline of high-prospectivity targets”
“These Phase 1 results continue to highlight the prospectivity of our 100%-owned Minyari Dome Project. We believe there is strong potential to continue to grow the resource through both extensional and greenfields drilling, Antipa managing director Roger Mason said.
"The company is continuing greenfield exploration across the project in parallel with project evaluation activities.
“The Minyari Dome Project economics are hugely leveraged to future resource growth and we have a pipeline of high-prospectivity gold-copper targets to drill.
"Located just 500 metres along strike from Minyari, the Minyari North prospect is showing characteristics consistent with mineralisation at the periphery of a Minyari style deposit.
“As a result, future exploration drilling will test the down plunge extent of the mineralisation. We have also interpreted a very promising 300-metre-long ‘jog’ corridor at Chicane, linking the Sundown and WACA mineralisation trends.
“The pre-feasibility study continues to enhance the potential of the scoping study’s mining inventory of 1.1 million ounces of gold to deliver an attractive standalone gold mining and processing development.
"A Miscellaneous Licence application for the future mine access road has been submitted as early study workstreams continue at pace for scheduled delivery during Q4 CY2023.
“On top of all of this activity, Antipa has been successful in Round 26 of the Exploration Incentive Scheme receiving a WA Government grant of up to $220,000 for testing deep Minyari targets.”
Next steps
The company has commenced the second phase of diamond drilling of up to 9,000 metres to test multiple high-priority resource growth targets. Two diamond core rigs are on site and the program is expected to be completed in the first half of next year.
As well, a 1,400-metre aircore drilling to test high-priority greenfield gold-copper soil anomalies will begin this month.
A pre-feasibility study (PFS) incorporating resource definition drilling is underway and scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2023.