Yandal Resources Ltd (ASX:YRL) continues the hunt for gold in WA’s Yandal Greenstone Belt, where it recently rolled out the aircore rig to test key mineralised structures across its Ironstone Well/Barwidgee (IWB) and Mt McClure projects.
The explorer has tabulated final assays from 101 holes and almost 5,000 metres of March quarter reconnaissance drilling, designed to uncover prospective geology and evidence of gold mineralisation.
Yandal is particularly pleased with the broad-spaced drill hits from IWB, which confirm northwest and southeast extensions to the Quarter Moon target and showcase gold anomalism at the Roland Garros prospect.
With a reverse circulation drill program at Mt McClure’s HMS Sulphur target also off the to-do list, Yandal is one step closer to establishing a maiden mineral resource at one of its more advanced exploration prospects.
Proving up ground at IWB
Yandal’s wholly-owned IWB project stretches over 370 square kilometres in the highly prospective yet underexplored northern Yandal Greenstone Belt.
The explorer has already established a 268,000-ounce gold resource at the Flushing Meadows deposit but is hoping to replicate its success at prospects like Quarter Moon, Oblique, New England Granite, Roland Garros and Sims Find.
Yandal Resources managing director Tim Kennedy said the recent reconnaissance program offered a company a closer look at these targets, where limited historical drilling returned encouraging gold hits.
“At Ironstone Well/Barwidgee, it was very encouraging to see a strong geochemical response, up to 3.2 g/t gold, approximately 700 metres north along strike from Quarter Moon,” he explained.
“This adds further strike potential to the prospect, which is regarded as high priority, and was already earmarked for RC drill testing in Q3-Q4 once heritage approvals have been received.
Kennedy went on to say that several lower-order intersections — drawn from a single traverse drilled at Roland Garros — indicate this prospect is prospective and warrants further work.
… and at Mt McClure
South of the IWB Project lies Yandal’s Mt McClure property — a collection of historical open pits and gold prospects with sizeable exploration upside.
The greater Mt McClure gold camp, which covers a strike length of 30 kilometres and the 1-million-ounce-plus Orelia mine, has a total gold endowment in excess of 1.8 million ounces.
Yandal’s MD said recent drilling at Mt McClure returned positive results from three of the 11 targets tested.
“Given the largely conceptual nature of most of the targets and the very preliminary nature of drilling, this is a good hit rate,” he noted.
“We intend on following up each of these targets once the results have been fully interpreted.”
More to come
While the first few months of the year have proved busy, Yandal shows no signs of slowing down.
The company looks forward to RC results from Mt McClure’s HMS Sulphur camp, where assays are expected to underpin a maiden resource.
In the meantime, Yandal plans to complete 3D modelling over both past and present datasets — a move that will help it establish control over potentially higher-grade plunging shoots ahead of follow-up drill testing.
The latest aircore hits have also provided a compass for Mt McClure and IWB’s most promising structural and geochemical targets. As such, Yandal is eager to return to the field and chase up the best results.
Before that happens, the company needs to secure access approval, ensuring it can drill test priority targets like the Quarter Moon, Oblique and the New England prospects.
Finally, the explorer will take the magnifying glass to prospects identified during independent geological studies, namely at the Gordons and IWB tenements.