White Cliff Minerals Ltd: 149 g/t Gold Identified in RC Drilling. Aucu Gold Deposit
Perth - White Cliff Minerals Ltd. (ASX:WCN) ("White Cliff" or the "Company") is pleased to report that substantial gold and copper mineralisation has been identified in new RC drill holes at the Quartz Zone within the Aucu Gold project.Highlights:
- 11 metres at 15.2 g/t gold intersected in RC drilling including:
- 1 metre at 149.5 g/t gold
- 66 metres at 0.91% copper including:
- 2 metres at 7.08% copper within;
- 18 metres at 1.85% copper and;
- Hole ends in copper mineralisation
Drill hole ERC16-35 has intersected remarkable gold mineralisation both within the quartz reef and in the surrounding alteration halo (Figure 1 in link below). Assay results include 1 metre at 149.5 g/t gold within 11 metres at 15.2 g/t gold and 18 metres at 1.85% copper within 66 metres at 0.91% copper. The hole ended in +1% copper mineralisation
Drill hole ERC16-34 has intersected 3 metres at 4.64 g/t gold including 1 metre at 11.4 g/t gold and 6 metres at 0.46% copper.
High Grade Gold Intersections in RC Drilling Extend Mineralised Zone
The new mineralised zones intersected in drill holes ERC16-34 and ERC16-35 extend the quartz zone a further 50 metres southeast of the initial drill line which identified exceptional mineralisation from surface to 65 metres depth while remaining open at depth (Table 1 in link below). Assays for the third drill hole on the section ERC16-036 will soon be available. Drill defined gold mineralisation has been identified along the quartz reef over a distance of 185 metres. Mineralised outcrop containing visible gold extends along the exposed quartz reef over a distance of 243 metres (Figure 1 in link below).
In addition to the above results, drilling has been completed at a further two sections (sections 2970 and 2920) where the mineralised quartz vein has been intersected. The final holes to be drilled this year will be on section 2920 at the south-eastern end of the Quartz Zone.
Visible Gold at Surface Supports High Grade Drilling Intersections at Depth
The Quartz Zone outcrops at surface in all road cuttings completed and visible gold has been identified in rock samples at surface in all road cuttings over an elevation range of 140 metres and surface distance of 243 metres to date (see Figure 1 - visible gold marked with a star).
Managing Director Todd Hibberd commented that "The exceptional gold assays confirm the visible gold panned from the quartz reef at surface. We have high expectations that drilling will continue to deliver more substantial gold intersections at depth and along strike. The Company will endeavour to complete as much drilling as possible before autumn weather conditions make drilling too difficult to continue."
Quartz Zone Growing into a Substantial Mineralised System
The Quartz Zone occurs at the eastern end of the Eastern Gold Zone adjacent to the main porphyry intrusion. High grade gold mineralisation is largely confined to the quartz reef which ranges from 1-3 metres wide and can be traced at surface over 243 metres length. Visible gold has been panned from the quartz reef in seven road cuttings covering that length (Figures 1 & 2). The quartz reef extends north-west and interpreted to be the same reef encountered in drill hole UGZ15-35 which intersected 8 metres at 55 g/t gold (Figure 1 in link below).
Drilling has confirmed that the quartz reef is sub-vertical and has an orientation of 320 degrees and interpretation of magnetic data suggests that it has a total length of 450-510 metres. The quartz reef is offset by a major fault at the northwest end and by a porphyry intrusion at the southeast end (Figure 1). Further drilling is required to establish the location of extensions to the reef.
The Quartz Zone is characterised by a central 1-3 metre wide quartz reef with open textures (voids, quartz crystals, holes) and intense sericite-carbonate+/- manganese alteration containing abundant free gold surrounded by a broad alteration zone containing malachite (copper oxide), goethite and limonite (after pyrite and chalcopyrite). The Company will continue to drill the Quartz Zone on sections 30-50 metres apart down to 100 metres vertical depth.
Drilling Update
As of the date of this release a total of 3,941 metres have been completed in this year's drill program consisting of 16 diamond holes and 16 RC holes as detailed in Table 3. The Company is awaiting assay results for ERC16-36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 and ERC16-25.
The Reverse Circulation rig is currently drilling ERC16-43 at the bottom of the Quartz Zone while further roads are bull dozed at the bottom of the hill. The Company expects to complete another 130 metres of drilling in 2016. Further assay and drilling information will be released as it becomes available.
Aucu Gold Deposit Summary
As previously reported (ASX releases 24 Mar 15 and 02 Apr 15), the Company announced a maiden inferred resource for the Aucu gold deposit above a cut-off grade of 1 g/t gold of 1.15 Million tonnes grading 4.2 g/t gold for 156,000 ounces1 of contained gold.
In 2015, drilling identified exceptional gold mineralisation2 to the east of the Upper Gold Zone (UGZ) over a strike length of at least 500 metres [ASX releases 11 Nov 15, 1 Dec 15 and 7 Dec 15]. Results included:
- 8 metres at 55.2 g/t gold from 66 metres including 1 metre at 89.9 g/t gold
- 4 metres at 59.9 g/t gold from 66 metres including 1 metre at 189 g/t gold
- 2 metres at 43.5 g/t gold from 86 metres
- 1 metre at 103.4 g/t gold from 74 metres
- 3 metres at 41.4 g/t gold including 1 metre at 71 g/t gold
- 4 metres at 23.8 g/t gold from 85 metres
- 2 metres at 22 g/t gold from 102 metres
- 1 metre at 58 g/t gold
The average grade of the gold intersections from the 2015 drill program across the UGZ - East was 45 g/t gold from several lodes. In addition:
- Mineralisation outcrops at surface
- Mineralisation remains open in both directions and at depth
- Overall metallurgical recovery of all mineralised zones is 99%
- Gravity recoverable gold averages 88.6% (gold that reports to the gravity concentrate)
To view tables and figures, please visit:
http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/Q1D7G003
About White Cliff Minerals Ltd:
White Cliff Minerals Ltd. (ASX:WCN) is a Western Australian based exploration company with the following projects:
Chanach Copper-Gold Project (89%): The Project contains extensive porphyry related gold and copper mineralisation starting at the surface and extending over several kilometres. Drilling during 2014 has defined a major gold discovery with an initial inferred resource of 1.15Mt at 4.2 g/t containing 156,000 ounces of gold Drilling has also defined a significant copper deposit at surface consisting of 10Mt at 0.41% copper containing 40,000 tonnes of copper. Drilling in 2015 identified extensions of the known mineralisation over an additional 900 metres of strike with multiple intersections greater than 1 ounce per tonne (31.1 g/t) gold. Extensive mineralisation occurs around both deposits demonstrating significant expansion potential. The project is located in the Kyrgyz Republic, 350km west-southwest of the capital city of Bishkek and covers 83 square kilometres. The Chanach project is located in the western part of the Tien Shan Belt, a highly mineralised zone that extending for over 2,500 km, from western Uzbekistan, through Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic and southern Kazakhstan to western China.
Merolia Project (100%): The project consists of 771 square kilometres of the Merolia Greenstone belt and contains extensive ultramafic sequences including the Diorite Hill layered ultramafic complex, the Rotorua ultramafic complex, the Coglia ultramafic complex and a 51 kilometre long zone of extrusive ultramafic lava’s. The Intrusive complexes are prospective for nickel-copper sulphide accumulations possibly with platinum group elements, and the extrusive ultramafic rocks are prospective for nickel sulphide and nickel-cobalt accumulations. The project also contains extensive basalt sequences that are prospective for gold mineralisation including the Ironstone prospect where historical drilling has identified 24m at 8.6g/t gold.
Contact:
White Cliff Minerals Ltd.
Todd Hibberd Managing Director
+61-8-9321-2233