White Rock Minerals Ltd’s (ASX:WRM) systematic soil sampling has revealed a large system extending over 6 kilometres of strike east-west and up to 1.2 kilometres wide north-south at its Last Chance Gold Prospect in Alaska.
The strongest gold-arsenic response occurs in a central area of about 2 kilometres strike from the Sidewinder West target to the Pickle target and the company is now drilling to test high-priority targets.
Sample assays
Gold assay results have been received for all soil sampling undertaken at Last Chance target.
A total of 2,821 soil samples were taken with 11 samples better than 1 g/t gold, another 43 samples better than 0.4 g/t gold and a further 186 samples were better than 0.1 g/t gold.
White Rock’s technical advisor Dr Quinton Hennigh said: “With all soil sample results now back, we are pleased to now readily see the full extent of the expansive mineralising system at Last Chance.
“Drilling has been steadily progressing with few delays. To date, all of our drill holes have encountered variable amounts of quartz veining and/or silica breccia, in places with appreciable arsenopyrite and pyrite."
"Highly encouraged"
Hennigh said: “We believe we are in the upper brittle regime of a very large orogenic and/or Intrusion Related Gold System.
“We are highly encouraged by observations to date and are eager to complete all planned holes before the end of season in mid to late September.”
Large system uncovered
Geological reconnaissance identified a series of hydrothermal silica breccia bodies and associated narrow quartz veins distributed over 6 kilometres of east-west strike.
Multiple zones of gold-arsenic-antimony anomalism are typically associated with quartz veining and hydrothermal silica breccia bodies.
Both silica breccias and quartz veining show evidence of extensive anomalous gold mineralisation with rock chip assay results typically ranging between 0.1 and 2.0 g/t gold.
Drill program
The maiden drill program is targeting the broadest and most strongly developed zones of gold and pathfinder geochemical anomalism identified from the surface geochemical sampling.
This drill program also includes a planned series of deeper holes designed to follow leakage vectors downward to test for potentially high-grade gold mineralisation at depth.
The first four diamond drill holes have been completed at the Pickle, Sidewinder West and Double Down targets with a fifth drill hole in progress at the Sidewinder Blowout target.
Drilling is planned to continue for the remainder of the field season, which in the Alaska Range extends into September.
The next drill hole will target the high-grade soil samples at Sidewinder West.
