The new model at the Sabre gold-antimony prospect has expanded the strike of mineralisation from ~500m to over 800m. Pic: Getty Images.
- A series of mislocated drill holes at the Sabre prospect has led to a full on reinterpretation of iTech’s geological model
- These mistakes have now been rectified, and a new model has opened up a much larger exploration space at Reynolds Range
- Field mapping and sampling of gold-antimony and copper-gold prospects is continuing across the Sabre-Falchion-Lander prospects
Special report: A detailed review of gold and antimony mineralisation at iTech Minerals’ Sabre prospect, part of the Reynolds Range project, has identified a series of mislocated drillholes, leading to a full reinterpretation of the geological model.
The new model at Sabre has now expanded the strike of mineralisation from ~500m to 800m, with a significant number of new targets including down plunge of the fold axis, along strike of fold limbs and repeated stacked hinge zones to the north and south.
Petrological reports have also identified microcrystalline gold and potential for under reporting of assays.
A study is now underway on existing drill core to establish representative assaying techniques.
Geophysical crews have kicked off surveys at Reynolds Range with dipole-dipole IP planned for the Sabre prospect in the coming weeks.
Prepping for next exploration phase
iTech Minerals (ASX:ITM) is gearing up for its next phase of exploration, having completed the review to guide geophysical surveys across priority gold targets along the 42km+ Stafford Gold Trend.
3D modelling of historical drilling at Sabre has highlighted a series of holes from a past campaign that appear to have been drilled off the main gold mineralisation zone.
During the compilation of historical drilling by previous explorers, the incorrect datum was used to reproject some drill holes.
Previous explorers commented that the gold mineralisation at Sabre showed poor repeatability between drill holes and between sections, with some mineralised drill holes adjacent to un-mineralised drill holes.
ITM believes that this has been, at least in part, due to some holes being plotted in the incorrect positions.
The correction has realigned key mineralised zones, paving the way for a full reinterpretation of the geological model for gold mineralisation.
It now appears that mineralisation is controlled by a series of stacked fold hinges, trending in a NW-SE direction. While there is still some discrepancy between drill holes, the overall fit between holes and sections is much more consistent.
Future work
ITM managing director Mike Schwarz said the review of historical drilling at Sabre identified a series of mislocated drill holes, causing previous explorers to interpret gold mineralisation between holes and sections incorrectly.
“Rectifying these mistakes has revealed a new model for gold exploration, and more importantly, opened up a much larger exploration space as well as predicting significant new drill targets down plunge and along strike,” he said.
ITM is continuing to undertake field mapping and sampling of gold-antimony and copper-gold prospects across the 4-6km zone at the Sabre-Falchion-Lander prospects, with a view to understanding the critical controls on mineralisation and effective drill targeting.
Geophysical crews have just completed moving loop electromagnetic surveys (MLEM) at the Reward Copper-Gold Prospect 12km to the east and will be moving across to Sabre to undertake dipole-dipole induced polarisation (DDIP) surveys in the coming weeks.
Drilling is expected to begin in the second half of this calendar year.
Reynolds Range
The Reynolds Range project covers four granted exploration licences and 791km2 of ground in the Aileron province, part of the Paleoproterozoic North Australian Craton.
It is roughly 90-230km northwest of Alice Springs with access available from the Stuart Highway and then the unsealed Mt Denison road.
Gold exploration at Reynolds Range during the 1990s was primarily carried out by companies including Poseidon Gold, Exodus Minerals, North Flinders Mines, Normandy, and Newmont.
Systematic exploration led to the identification of 20 prospects, but only 13 showed anomalous gold results with Sabre emerging as the most advanced.
With gold trading near record prices above the $5100/oz level, there’s no better time for gold exploration to ramp up at Reynolds Range.
This article was developed in collaboration with iTech Minerals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
