Vango Mining Ltd (ASX:VAN) has its sights set on a major resource expansion drilling campaign at its Marymia Gold Project in Western Australia for the 2021 field season.
The project currently hosts a high-grade resource of 1.02 million tonnes at 3 g/t gold, including:
- Underground: 541,000 ounces at 7.9 g/t gold; and
- Open pit: for 461,000 ounces at 1.7 g/t gold.
An extensive 15,000-metre reverse circulation (RC) resource expansion drilling campaign is designed to deliver a resource upgrade in the second half of the year. This will include results from 2020 and 2021 drilling campaigns.
Vango aims to develop the Marymia Project into a significant gold mining operation and is progressing towards mine planning and permitting and approvals in parallel to its 2021 exploration program.
15,000-metre drilling campaign
The company completed an extensive 20,000-metre RC and diamond drilling drill campaign in 2020 that focused on priority targets at the ‘crown-jewels’ Trident Gold corridor and PHB gold corridor at Marymia.
These represent just three of six identified gold corridors, presenting major exploration upside within the project area.
The planned minimum 15,000-metre RC drilling is targeting 11 priority open-pits designed to deliver a resource increase at Marymia.
Open pit targets are ranked in order of priority based on a historic gold inventory and review of historic drilling and include Apollo, Exocet, Ibis, Kookaburra, Parrot, Pigeon, Prickleys, Redfin, Rosella, Skyhawk and Speckled targets.
Drilling is set to commence at the Skyhawk, Parrot and Apollo targets which are the highest priority.
The campaign also aims to:
- Enhance understanding of mineralised zones within the targeted open pits – to assist with mine planning; and
- Deliver ‘critical mass’ of resources to increase proposed mine life of a potential future mining operation at Marymia.
Open pit drill targets for 2021 field season at Marymia Project.
Trident Gold (TSX-V:TTG) Corridor
In 2020 the company completed 28 RC holes for 6,622 metres and seven diamond holes for 1781.8 metres, successfully extending the dip and strike extent of mineralisation outside existing resource of 410,000 at 8 g/t gold.
Best results included:
- 9 metres at 26.2 g/t from 137 metres, including 2 metres at 102.2 g/t from 139 metres;
- 7 metres at 8.7 g/t from 110 metres, including 2 metres at 27.6 g/t from 110 metres and 1-metre at 17.4 g/t from 114 metres;
- 7.15 metres at 17.1 g/t from 193.85 metres, including 3.6 metres at 24.4 g/t;
- 11.48 metres at 11.5 g/t from 159 metres, including 4 metres at 26.1 g/t;
- 11 metres at 36.2 g/t from 213 metres, including 2 metres at 184 g/t;
- 9 metres at 12.7 g/t from 54 metres, including 7 metres at 15.6 g/t from 56 metres and 3 metres at 30.6 g/t from 56 metres; and
- 9 metres at 15 g/t from 28 metres, including 3 metres at 39.8 g/t.
PHB Gold Corridor
The company also drilled 23 RC holes for 5,751 metres and six diamond holes for 1,412.8 metres at the PHB gold corridor in 2020 field season, which delivered a new, high-grade lode discovery below the K1 open pit, northeast of PHB-1.
Best results were:
- 7 metres at 103.6 g/t from 48 metres, including 3 metres at 240 g/t and 1-metre at 691 g/t;
- 3 metres at 19.7 g/t from 126 metres and 8 metres at 4.17 g/t from 110 metres, including 3 metres at 8.69 g/t;
- 15 metres at 6.51 g/t from 118 metres, including 5 metres at 12.5 g/t;
- 6 metres at 8.66 g/t, including 2 metres at 23.8 g/t from 128 metres; and
- 4 metres at 10.9 g/t, including 2 metres at 20.1 g/t, from 161 metres.
Ned’s Creek resource potential
Vango also has a farm-in, joint venture agreement with Lodestar Minerals Ltd (ASX:LSR) for the nearby Ned’s Creek Project, which it believes has further resource potential.
The latest drilling targeted the Contessa target and confirmed the mineralised system continues at depth, plunging to the northeast with mineralisation open to the north.
Notable results from this diamond drilling included:
- 4 metres at 78 g/t from 140 metres; and
- 4 metres at 2.1 g/t from 144 metres, including 1-metre at 6.52 g/t from 147 metres.
The company plans to conduct aero magnetic and ground magnetic surveys to close gaps in the Lodestar data base, with plans for next phase of drilling yet to be finalised.
Vango is set to earn a 51% interest by expending $5 million on exploration over three years from 2019.