Strickland Metals Ltd (ASX:STK) has identified new exploration targets directly along strike from the current 5.4-million-ounce gold equivalent Rogozna Gold and Base Metals Project in Serbia, confirming the multiple pathways to rapid resource growth and discovery.
Strong and extensive chargeability anomalism was identified at the new target areas — Jezerska Reka and Obradov Potok — from recently acquired IP survey data.
These newly identified IP anomalies are larger and have a stronger IP response than the anomalies that are spatially associated with the 4.6-million-ounce gold equivalent Shanac and 800,000-ounce gold equivalent Copper Canyon deposits.
In addition, a recent review of historical drilling at Jezerska Reka identified porphyry-related alteration and veining, confirming it as a high-priority target for porphyry-hosted copper-gold mineralisation.
"Exciting new avenue"
Strickland managing director Paul L’Herpiniere said: “The new IP survey data has increased our confidence that the Jezerska Reka and Obradov Potok target areas have the potential to host significant bodies of mineralisation, opening up another exciting new avenue for discovery and growth at Rogozna.
“All of the currently drill-defined deposits on the neighbouring licence are spatially associated with IP anomalies, which map alteration-related disseminated sulphides within the volcanic cover either above or in proximity to the underlying deposits.
“The IP anomalism at Jezerska Reka and Obradov Potok is more laterally extensive and of stronger tenor than similar anomalies at Shanac, Copper Canyon and Gradina, while the strong spatial coincidence of these IP anomalies with multielement geochemical anomalies in soils provides further evidence of their discovery potential.”
Long section view of the Rogozna Project, from Jezerska Reka through to Shanac (view looking NW), showing new IP chargeability anomalies, current mineralisation block models and gold + arsenic in soil response draped on topography.
Renowned porphyry expert engaged
As part of its ongoing exploration effort, Strickland recently engaged renowned porphyry expert Dr David Cooke to conduct an independent review of the porphyry-related copper-gold potential of the Rogozna Project.
Cooke’s technical review has vastly improved the company’s technical understanding of the porphyry-potential.
Cooke said, “A porphyry gold-copper-style intrusive and breccia complex was intersected at Jezerska Reka in drill hole ZRJD23001.”
This hole “demonstrates that the Rogozna district has potential for porphyry-style mineralisation centres, in addition to the skarn deposits and intermediate sulfidation veins discovered to date.
“It is possible that the skarns and epithermal veins at Shanac, Copper Canyon, Gradina and Medenovac are parts of larger porphyry-centred mineral systems, with the potential for porphyry-style mineralisation at depth”.
L’Herpiniere said, “The company recently engaged renowned porphyry expert Dr David Cooke to conduct an independent technical review of the porphyry copper-gold potential of the project.
“His review confirmed that the single historical hole drilled into the Jezerska Reka target in 2023 encountered extensive porphyry-related alteration and veining.
“This coupled with the newly-defined IP anomalism supports our decision to fast-track drilling at Jezerska Reka by moving one of the rigs to test it in the coming weeks.”
Next steps
Strickland says drilling continues across Rogozna with four rigs currently drilling at Shanac, Medenovac and Gradina.
With the additional evidence provided by the newly defined IP chargeability anomalies, the company will also move one of its rigs to commence drilling of the Jezerska Reka target in coming weeks.
“Strickland Metals looks forward to updating the market with assay results from several recently completed holes at Medenovac, Kotlovi and Shanac as they come to hand in the coming weeks,” said L’Herpiniere.