Tempest Minerals Ltd (ASX:TEM) (FRA:LIF) continues to progress the Messenger Project, part of its extensive landholding within the Yalgoo mineral field, where the company is exploring for gold and copper, around 450 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia.
The project is eight kilometres north of the prolific Golden Grove copper-zinc-gold mine and encompasses part of the ‘Messengers Patch’, an historic mining centre hosting numerous high-grade mines (up to 10 ounces gold per ton), and a state battery (government-built gold processing facility) in the early 1900s.
Recent drilling at Messenger confirmed the presence of thick quartz veining and alteration in most drill holes.
The quartz veining is believed to be similar to the mineralisation historically mined at very high grades at the surface.
This current drilling program is in addition to drilling in December 2020, which yielded a gold discovery at the Warriedar West Project.
Project portfolio.
Tempest has three other projects in the Yalgoo region – War West, Euro and Meleya, which is considered to be a world-class area that is yet underexplored.
The region has had a recent influx of explorers, including Firefly Resources Ltd (ASX:FFR) (OTCMKTS:MNDMF), Venture Minerals Ltd (ASX:VMS) (OTCMKTS:VTMLF), Terrain Minerals Ltd (ASX:TMX) and Enterprise Metals Ltd (ASX:ENT).
Warriedar West Project
The Warriedar Project is a large-scale exploration project targeting intrusive-related gold (IRG) and orogenic gold mineralisation.
Interest in exploration for IRG systems in Western Australia is increasing, stemming from high profile discoveries with similar styles of mineralisation such as the world-class Hemi discovery by De Grey Mining (ASX:DEG) (OTCMKTS:DGMLF) (FRA:DGD) and Northern Star Resources Ltd's (ASX:ASX:NST) Pogo Mine in Alaska.
Tempest completed a maiden reconnaissance drilling program (20 holes for 622 metres) at the project during the December 2020 quarter.
This drilling was focused on several target areas of shallow, outcropping zones of highly altered silica-rich intrusive with mapped quartz veining.
The discovery of gold at Warriedar West is within kilometres of under-utilised gold mills and processing facilities with established haulage routes in place.
In addition to the discovery of entirely new sources of gold in the mineral field, major new extensions to the Yalgoo greenstone belt have been identified under shallow cover throughout the Wee Lode area.
Immediate next steps
Imminent work activities include:
- Awaiting results from Messenger drilling, expected in the second quarter;
- Follow-up drilling planned for Messenger, Warriedar West and other projects; and
- Further fieldwork, which is currently in progress.