Waratah Minerals identifies western extension of Spur gold zone at Gum Flat
Key Takeaways
- •Sonic drilling at Gum Flat identified gold mineralisation in both weathered basement and shallow alluvial sequences, pointing to a potential 150-metre westward extension of the Spur system.
- •Hole GFS007 returned 30.5m at 0.96g/t gold from 8m, including a 2m interval at 9.06g/t.
- •Hole GFS005 intersected 19m at 1.10g/t gold from 31m, including 0.5m at 8.84g/t.
- •Drilling confirmed gold in shallow stacked paleochannels, including 14m at 0.75g/t gold from GFS001 and 14m at 0.55g/t from GFS006.
- •Waratah Minerals will next interpret the new drilling data and determine follow-up exploration across the expanded target area.
Waratah Minerals (ASX: WTM) has identified broad gold mineralisation beneath and within alluvial sediments at Gum Flat in New South Wales, strengthening the case for a westward extension of its Spur Gold Zone.
Sonic drilling — a technique well suited to probing through unconsolidated alluvial cover, which often conceals basement mineralisation in the region — returned mineralisation in both weathered basement and shallow alluvial sequences, with the results pointing to a potential 150-metre westward continuation of the Spur system beneath cover.
One of the stronger results came from hole GFS007, which returned 30.5m at 0.96g/t gold from 8m, including 8.5m at 2.72g/t and a higher-grade 2m interval at 9.06g/t. Hole GFS005 also intersected a higher-grade zone, returning 19m at 1.10g/t gold from 31m, including 0.5m at 8.84g/t.
The drilling additionally confirmed gold within shallow, stacked paleochannels. GFS001 returned 14m at 0.75g/t gold from 9.5m, while GFS006 intersected 14m at 0.55g/t from 6m.
The company said the work is helping clarify how gold is distributed across the Gum Flat area and supports its interpretation that the known Spur mineralisation continues beneath cover to the west. For explorers in the Lachlan Fold Belt and surrounding NSW gold districts, mineralisation hidden beneath alluvial cover is a common challenge, and techniques capable of sampling through that cover are a key part of targeting buried extensions of known systems.
Waratah Managing Director Peter Duerden said the results had improved the company's understanding of the wider gold system, highlighting the combination of hard-rock and alluvial mineralisation as particularly significant.
The emerging western extension could therefore provide a new exploration target, while the shallow alluvial mineralisation offers an additional area for assessment as the company works to establish the scale and continuity of the broader Spur Gold Project.
Next steps will focus on interpreting the new drilling data and determining follow-up exploration across the expanded target area.
The material in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult a certified financial adviser before making any investment decisions.
