Yandal Resources Ltd (ASX:YRL) has kicked off a 29-hole reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the HMS Sulphur prospect of the Mt McClure Project in Western Australia, with the goal of producing sufficient drilling data for an initial mineral resource estimate (MRE) at the prospect.
The company hopes to add to Mt McClure’s existing MRE of 136,000 ounces of gold with 2,500 metres of drilling at HMS Sulphur, which sits directly north of the Success prospect’s open pit resource.
“HMS Sulphur is a standout target showing consistent shallow mineralisation over a 700-metre-plus strike length located immediately adjacent to our Success resource,” Yandal Resources managing director Tim Kennedy said.
Targeting Orelia-style high-grade shoots
“As with all of the resources at Mt McClure it has the added advantage of being located on granted mining leases and close to existing haulage infrastructure.
“This drilling, which is designed to provide sufficient drill density to complete an initial mineral resource estimate, will also add to our geological knowledge and will potentially highlight the presence of higher-grade plunging shoots similar to those at the nearby 1-million-ounce-plus Orelia deposit being developed by Northern Star.”
Location map of Mt McClure showing key prospects and occurrences in relation to project tenure and regional geology. The Orelia deposit sits directly along strike from Mt McClure’s tenements.
In 2018 the then owner of the Orelia deposit – Echo Resources Ltd (ASX:EAR), now owned by Northern Star – upgraded the resource to a total of 1.07 million ounces of gold, from 15.9 million tonnes at 2.1 g/t gold.
The deposit is being developed as part of the Bronzewing Operations, which also includes the Bronzewing open pit.
Next steps
Yandal says it’s got a busy 2023 planned, with a priority on exploration activities. The list includes:
- RC drilling at HMS Sulphur at Mt McClure to enable an initial MRE for that prospect (in progress).
- 3D modelling of historical and recent drilling data at Mt McClure to establish controls on potential higher-grade plunging shoots for follow-up drill testing.
- Interpretation of aircore drill results over structural and geochemical targets at Mt McClure and Ironstone Well/Barwidgee.
- Access approval for drill testing targets at Ironstone Well/Barwidgee, including Quarter Moon, Oblique and the New England prospects.
- Follow-up of targets highlighted in the recent independent geological targeting studies at Gordons (completed by Ben McCormack of Outlier Geoscience) and Ironstone Well/Barwidgee (completed by Mike Outhwaite of Lithify Pty Ltd).