AC DRILLING COMPLETED - MOUNT RIDLEY PROJECT ALBANY FRASER OROGENY
ASX Announcement 14 February 2019
- Albany Fraser new nickel – copper targets tested
- 3 out of 4 targets confirmed as favourable mafic/ultramafic lithologies
- High Powered Geophysics being planned over 3 target areas.
Mount Ridley Mines Limited (ASX: MRD) (“Mount Ridley”, “the Company”) is pleased to announce an exploration activities update at its 100% owned Mt Ridley Project, located 70km north east of Esperance (Western Australia) in the Albany Fraser Range Province WA.
Four discrete magnetic geophysical features have been tested by air core drilling comprising 28 holes and 937 meters at an average hole depth of 33.45m. The magnetic features were chosen as having similar geophysical signatures to the intrusive rocks that host the Nova-Bollinger mine. End of hole rock chips over three of the four targets tested identified coarse-grained varitextured gabbronorite and olivine-bearing peridotite, similar to intrusive lithologies known to host magmatic nickel-copper sulphides already identified elsewhere on the Mt Ridley project.
Figure 1. Chip trays from Lines 1 & 5 with coarse-grained varitextured gabbronorite and olivine-bearing peridotite lithologies in end of hole samples.
There are a number of geophysical magnetic and gravity features identified on the project that are yet to be tested beneath cover with previous exploration confirming the potential for magmatic nickelcopper sulphides. This latest round of AC drilling is encouraging for the identification of NovaBollinger style magmatic nickel-copper mineralisation.
The Company has submitted end of hole samples to ALS laboratory for whole-rock multi-element assay. Should the geochemical results be favorable, the Company will commence high powered moving loop electromagnetic (HP MLTEM) surveying as soon as practical to target any potential magmatic sulphide accumulations. In addition, other untested discrete geophysical targets will be AC drill tested for additional potential mafic-ultramafic intrusive lithologies.
The Company intends to provide further updates on the results of the recently completed drill program as they become available
Figure 2. AC Drilling completed on Bouger anomaly gravity data.
Quarterly Report for the quarter ended 30 September 2018
Mt Ridley Project, Albany - Fraser Range / Yilgarn Craton Orogen
ASX Announcement 31 October 2018
OVERVIEW
Mount Ridley Mines Ltd (ASX: MRD) (or “the Company“) is pleased to provide the following update of activities for the Quarter ended 30 September 2018.
The Company continued to focus on its core asset being the 100% owned Mt Ridley Project located 70km north east of Esperance in the Albany - Fraser Range Province (Western Australia). The Company announced on 28 August 2018 that the planned recommencement of the AC drilling campaign (ASX announcement 16 July 2018) at Mt Ridley was postponed due to drilling difficulty.
MRD has reviewed the Company’s gravity and magnetic databases given the recently announced discovery at Creasy Group’s Silver Knight Ni/Cu/Co discovery approximately 25km north east of the Nova Bollinger deposits also within the Albany - Fraser Orogen (AFO). The Company’s geophysical team at Southern Geoscience have identified several discrete magnetic and gravity signatures on the Mt Ridley project that require further testing.
Larger coincident magnetic and gravity targets at Tyrells, The Lake, T19, T20, Keith’s and Winston’s to date have all proven to be coarse grained mafic to ultramafic gabbronorite and peridotite intrusive rocks containing disseminated to blebby magmatic sulphides of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and pentlandite. The presence of magmatic sulphides in such varitextured zones is typical of nickel sulphide systems and is seen as significant, demonstrating a magmatic nickel sulphide system has formed within the project area.
The Creasy Group announcement also demonstrates that the IGO Nova Mine is not unique in the AFO and exploration discovery potential within the AFO for similar systems as Nova, remains significant.
Mt Ridley will take knowledge gained from the Nova and Silver Knight discoveries and will focus the next round of exploration on smaller discrete magnetic and gravity coincident features with the objective of identifying conduit zones suitable for sulphide accumulation.
On 24 September 2018, the Company recommenced AC drilling at Mount Ridley and the preliminary results were released subsequent to the end of the quarter on 30 October 2018.
Mt Ridley Project, Albany-Fraser / Yilgarn Craton Orogen
ASX Announcement 30 October 2018
- Gold Auger Geochemical Anomaly AC Drilling to be expanded
- Albany-Fraser Nickel – Copper targets identified, AC drilling late-November
Mount Ridley Mines Limited (ASX: MRD) (“Mount Ridley”, “the Company”) is pleased to announce an exploration update at its 100% owned Mt Ridley Project, located 70km north east of Esperance (Western Australia) in the Albany-Fraser Range Province of Western Australia.
The objective of the recently completed air core drilling program was to follow-up coherent gold anomalism outlined from shallow auger geochemistry sampling.
A total of 79 aircore holes were drilled for a total of 5,344 meters. A total of 1,345 samples were collected from the program and submitted to ALS laboratory for analysis.
The drilling intersected consistent Eocene transported cover in the area ranging in thickness from 57 to 63m and comprising:
- sandy soil and pedogenic calcrete (0 - 1m),
- lateritic soil (1 - 5m) and suspected to be host to auger gold anomalism
- aeolian sand (5-12m),
- sandy lignite (12 -23m),
- organic rich lake clays (23 -55m) with reduced sulphur,
- graphitic lignite (55-63m) with reduced sulphur.
Beneath the thick transported cover sequence, the drilling intersected paleo-saprolite consisting of clays and quartz rich zones. Fresh rock (basement) comprised quartz rich gneisses and quartz feldspar amphibole gneisses.
The drill holes returned low Au values in downhole composites and EOH samples. It can be concluded that the air core drill program did not intersect any mineralisation or proximal paleoregolith gold patterns that can be described as the source for gold anomalism intersected in the previous shallow auger program. Trace element geochemistry has highlighted anomalous concentration of elements As, Pb, Ce and La in fresh bedrock.
Elevated As values (up to 100 ppm) were outlined in the northern part of the area on Lines 1, 2 & 3 and the anomaly is open to the north towards a strong magnetic high. The EOH sample for Drill hole MRAC797 returned anomalous values for Pb (360ppm), Ce (>500ppm) and La (449ppm).
Coincident anomalous patterns of the elements As, Pb, Ce and La have strong spatial correlation with an interpreted NNE trending fault zone. The fault zone has been outlined from the Magnetics (1VD & Total Magnetic intensity) images for the area.
Geological logging of air core holes on Lines 5 - 8 established that the fault zone is also a lithological contact between sulphide (pyrite) bearing quartz rich gneisses (east) and garnetiferous quartz amphibole gneisses (west).
As-Pb-La-Ce anomalism is encouraging because it is usually found in shear zones associated with hydrothermal alteration for structurally controlled epigenetic gold mineralisation.
Current thoughts on the area are that the drilled area contains a thick cover or depression consisting of organic rich sediments and coal seams. Gold and base metals mineralisation underneath such cover must be blind to near surface geochemical techniques. Therefore, the auger gold anomaly must have been sourced from somewhere else.
Further exploration will be targeted towards the identification of a near surface source for the gold anomalism identified in the near surface lateritic soil blanket. It is suspected that the gold in the laterite has been dispersed laterally over the area from a source which is either a long lived auriferous shear zone (fault) and/or near surface (<20m) mineralised bedeck and quartz veins.
The shear zone, identified from magnetics and confirmed by geochemistry, is a positive step. The next step is to use geophysics to identify near surface (<=20m) basement highs in the depression (cover) and then drill shallow holes to identify gold anomalism in bedrock/saprolite/quartz veins.
The Company is planning a broader spaced planned air core program of approximately 1,000m drilling within the As, Pb, Ce and La anomalous area associated with the projected faulting in search of the source of the surface auger gold geochemistry anomaly
Mt Ridley Mines looks forward to updating the market once further information becomes available.
Mt Ridley Project, Albany-Fraser / Yilgarn Craton Orogen
ASX Announcement 24 September 2018
- Gold Auger Geochemical Anomaly AC Drilling Progressing Well
- AC Holes Consistently Getting to Basement
- Samples Recently Submitted for Assay
Mount Ridley Mines Limited (ASX: MRD) (“Mount Ridley”, “the Company”) would like to announce that the recommencement of the AC drilling campaign (ASX announcement 28 August) is going exceptionally well at its 100% owned Mt Ridley Project, located 70km north east of Esperance (Western Australia).
The Company has engaged Challenge Drilling to undertake the renewed AC program. Under difficult drilling conditions Challenge Drilling has lived up to their name, with bedrock basement being hit on all holes except one, at depths averaging 70-80m of poorly consolidated to unconsolidated sedimentary cover sequence over the prospective basement.
Given the success of drilling to date with the new contractor, it is anticipated that all of the planned lines of AC drilling over the auger gold geochemical anomaly will be completed within the next week. ]
Samples collected to date have been submitted for assay at ALS Global;
- 4m composite samples to be assayed for gold (Au - TL43) downhole, to better understand the distribution of any gold in the regolith;
- End-of-hole 1m basement samples, to be assayed with a multi element (ME - MS 61 & Au - TL43) assay package to characterise any gold and associated lithologies and alteration.
Preliminary results from the renewed program are expected by the end of September.
To date the geology observed in end-of-hole basement samples in several holes is interpreted to comprise variably silicified biotite and amphibole-bearing orthogneisses, with disseminated pyrite replacing amphibole within the silicified and altered gneiss (see ASX announcement 16 July 2018).
Mt Ridley Mines looks forward to updating the market once further information becomes available from this geophysical review and update progress on the gold AC drilling campaign
New Gold AC Drilling Drilling Drilling Update
Mt Ridley Project, Albany Mt Ridley Project, Albany-Fraser / Yilgarn Craton Orogen
- Favourable geology encountered to date Favourable geology encountered to date
- Gold geochemistry halo anomaly 3 km x 1.5 km Gold geochemistry halo anomaly 3 km x 1.5 km 3 km x 1.5 km
- Favourable magnetic complex
Mount Ridley Mines Limited (ASX: MRD) (“Mount Ridley”, “the Company”) is pleased to announce an exploration update at its 100% owned Mt Ridley Project located 70km north east of Esperance (WA).
Air Core Drilling (AC)
The recently commenced AC program has completed approximately 15% of the planned holes to basement. To date the geology observed in end-of-hole basement samples in several holes is interpreted to comprise variably silicified biotite and amphibole-bearing orthogneisses, with disseminated pyrite replacing amphibole within the silicified and altered gneiss. Sampling has been completed on all holes drilled to date, comprising:
- 4m composite samples to be assayed for gold downhole, to better understand the distribution of any gold in the regolith; and
- End-of-hole 1m samples when in basement, to be assayed with a multi (50) element assay package to characterise any gold and associated lithologies and alteration.
Due to problems with deeper than anticipated cover and issues with hole blockages due to running sands and swelling clays, drilling has temporally been postponed because of the insufficient capacity of the current drill on site.
A replacement larger capacity AC/RC drill rig has been sourced and will be mobilised to site within approximately 2 weeks. The larger drill rig also has RC hammer capacity on hand to drill further into basement within those holes that may encounter more of the silicified and pyrite-bearing basement lithologies.
The immediate area of current AC drilling has not previously been drilled by past explorers. Those few previous AC and RAB drill holes drilled by past explorers in the region of the current program were terminated at comparable, or shallower, depth than the current basement intersections being encountered in the present AC drill program. It is anticipated that once the larger capacity drill is on site that drilling to sample basement lithologies will recommence and complete the entire basement sampling program.
Mount Ridley’s Managing Director, Ashley Hood commented; “As interesting as the geology appears to be at this early stage, the success of the program will be based on the assay results, expected to be returned for those holes completed to date in approximately two to three weeks’ time”.
“Encouragingly the altered and pyrite-bearing basement geology observed to date beneath the gold halo anomaly currently being targeted clearly appears different to the recorded results of the historic AC and RAB drilling in the vicinity of the current program”.
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