Nexus Minerals Ltd (ASX:NXM) has kicked off a 5,000-metre shallow oxide extensional reverse circulation (RC) drill program targeting the Branches and MC4.1 prospects at the Wallbrook Gold Project, 140 kilometres northeast of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
Shallow oxide mineralisation
The RC drill campaign targeting the Branches prospect will cover some 2,500 metres with the aim of extending shallow oxide mineralisation intersected in previous drill programs.
Mineralisation is hosted within, and on the boundaries of, altered quartz porphyry dykes. Some of the more impressive past results Nexus has had at this prospect include:
- 5 metres @ 17.91g/t gold (within 8 metres @ 11.37g/t gold from 118 metres);
- 5 metres @ 5.45g/t gold and 3 metres @ 6.07g/t gold (within 36 metres @ 2.04g/t gold from 43 metres);
- 12 metres @ 5.21g/t gold (within 24 metres @ 2.23g/t gold from 25 metres); and
- 8 metres @ 7.59g/t gold (within 25 metres @ 2.86g/t gold from 43 metres).
Over at target MC4.1, the company intersected mineralised quartz-goethite alteration and hematite altered quartz porphyry in a number of the holes drilled – the same mineralisation style as seen at the Branches prospect.
MC4.1 prospect also targeted
Nexus will follow its successful maiden regional aircore program at the MC4.1 prospect, which defined an anomalous corridor 1.7-kilometre long by 200 metres wide, with a 2,500-metre RC drill program targeting shallow oxide mineralisation.
Previous aircore results at that prospect include:
- 8 metres @ 4.00g/t gold (within 21 metres @ 1.69g/t gold from 24 metres);
- 4 metres @ 2.58g/t gold (within 9 metres @ 1.49g/t gold from 16 metres);
- 4 metres @ 2.10g/t gold (within 8 metres @ 1.14g/t gold from 24 metres); and
- 3 metres @ 2.52g/t gold (within 7 metres @ 1.61g/t gold from 43 metres to end-of-hole.
Nexus managing director Andy Tudor said: “The next phase of exploration drilling at Wallbrook has begun with an extensional RC drill program commenced at the Branches prospect.
“Once the drill rig has completed the ~2,500-metre program there it will move to the MC4.1 prospect and complete a 2,500-metre program.
“Previous programs have yielded great results that have added to the respective mineralisation footprints.”