Aruma Resources Ltd (ASX:AAJ) has completed a drill program targeting a bonanza-grade gold zone at the Thistle prospect at its 100%-owned Salmon Gums Gold Project in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia.
The gold explorer's initial assessment of the drill core indicates that drilling reached the targeted structure, with six out of the seven holes completed intersecting mineralisation.
The bonanza-grade gold previously intersected at Thistle included 5 metres at 50.2 g/t gold in drill hole SCRC039, with grades as high as 224 g/t gold.
Core samples from the latest program have been sent to the laboratory for assessment.
Image showing drilling targeting the previous high-grade gold intersection in SGRC039.
Visually encouraging
Results from the initial assessment indicate the presence of a significant pyrrhotite-pyrite-arsenopyrite bearing quartz vein, which is a characteristic of Norseman-style gold mineralisation.
This suggests that Thistle could be hosting a significant gold-bearing structure as the pyrrhotite, pyrite, and arsenopyrite sulphides are present both within and proximal to the primary quartz vein.
In particular, the intersection in drill hole SG23DD004 shows evidence of Norseman-style quartz lode mineralisation with abundant arsenopyrite and pyrrhotite.
While the visual assessment is highly encouraging, Aruma cautions that it does not represent confirmation of gold mineralisation or gold grade.
Drill core from SG23DD004 showing Norseman-style quartz lode mineralisation with disseminated sulphide.
Forward plan
The Salmon Gums Gold Project comprises two exploration licences, EL63/2037 and EL63/2122, and exploration licence application ELA63/2303, over a total area of 360 square kilometres.
The project is about 200 kilometres south of the major regional centre of Kalgoorlie and about 30 kilometres south of Pantoro Ltd (ASX:PNR)’s high-grade Scotia Gold Project.
Aruma's exploration work at Salmon Gums have returned numerous intersections of gold mineralisation along the Thistle trend and the Iris trend, to the north of Thistle.
The company intends to model the available data from all its drill programs, along with other geological data, to refine plans for further drilling to extend the project’s mineralised footprint.
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