Emmerson Resources Ltd (ASX:ERM) has intersected the targeted ironstone unit it set out to investigate during an extensional and reverse circulation (RC) drill program at the 100%-owned Hermitage Project near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory.
The 2,000-metre, 11-drill hole program that began in July has been completed, with 10 out of the three diamond holes and eight RC holes hitting the targeted unit.
Samples have been sent to the laboratory, with results expected over the next three weeks.
Hermitage is one of a cluster of 100% Emmerson-owned prospects in the north of the gold and copper-rich Tennant Creek Mineral Field (TCMF), where the application of new exploration models and technologies has been used to unlock new discoveries.
Drone magnetic surveys
Elsewhere, the exploration company has collected more than 20,000 line kilometres of low altitude and ultra-high resolution magnetic data at the TCMF after conducting a series of extensive drone-based magnetic surveys.
These surveys, part of its joint venture with Tennant Creek Consolidated Mining Group (TCMG), were undertaken using a line spacing of between 10 metres and 20 metres across key structural corridors that have historically produced more than 2 million ounces of gold and a significant amount of copper.
Processing and geophysical modelling of the data has commenced and will take two to three months for targets to be refined.
Tennant Creek project area outlining the extent of the drone magnetic surveys.
Embracing new technology
“The company has embraced new technology in the search for the extremely high-value, small footprint deposits which Tennant Creek is renowned for,” Emmerson managing director Mike Dunbar said.
“The use of drone magnetic surveys of the size undertaken is unparalleled in Australia.
“To fly approximately 20,000 line-kilometres of low-level and ultra-high resolution magnetics is a massive undertaking, not only for our team but also our geophysical contractor AirgeoX.
“I would also like to thank the Northern Territory Geological Survey and Resourcing the Territory Collaborative Fund for their support in flying the ultra-high resolution drone surveys.”
Follow-up drilling
Prior to the wet season, Emmerson plans to undertake 1,500-metre of follow-up RC drilling at the Golden Forty deposit aimed at extending the high-grade mineralisation intersected earlier in the year.
That drill program returned assays such as 28 metres at 28.3 g/t gold from 141 metres, including 9 metres at 84.6 g/t gold and 1.14% bismuth and 4 metres at 109 g/t gold and 2.08% bismuth; 6 metres at 41.2 g/t gold from 120 metres, including 4 metres at 60.6 g/t gold; and 35 metres at 1.8 g/t gold from 69 metres, including 13 metres at 4.1 g/t gold and 0.62% bismuth.
The TCMF, one of Australia’s highest-grade gold and copper fields, has produced in excess of 5.5 million ounces of gold and 470,000 tonnes of copper from deposits including Warrego, White Devil, Orlando, Gecko, Chariot and Golden Forty.
Emmerson’s discoveries here have included high-grade gold at Edna Beryl and Mauretania and copper-gold at Goanna and Monitor, representing the first discoveries in the TCMF for more than two decades.
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