Warriedar Resources is aiming to rev up the existing Ricciardo gold resource at its Golden Range project in WA’s Murchison region after kicking off a new 3000m reverse-circulation (RC) drilling program.
The company says the program will seek to add high-grade ounces to the existing gold inventory and upgrade the deposit into a higher-confidence category.
Management says its objective is to expand the mineralised zone outside the boundaries of the deposit and to extend previously-discovered high-grade gold shoots. The shoots remain open at depth and along strike.
Ricciardo hosts an existing mineral resource estimate of 8.7 million tonnes at 1.7 grams per tonne gold for 476,000 ounces, with 6000 ounces placed in the measured category, 203,000 ounces classified as indicated and 267,000 inferred ounces.
The deposit has a strike length of about 2.3km and has seen only limited drilling below 100m in depth. It sits in the middle of the 25km-long “Golden Corridor” at Golden Range, which is host to six discrete deposits that are all open at depth and possess growth potential through further drilling.
Warriedar drilled three of the deposits last year, including Ricciardo, with mineralisation extended successfully in all of them. Key results from drilling at Ricciardo were 20m going 4.78g/t gold from 148m, 6m at 4.69g/t from 142m and 7m at 4.48g/t gold from 251m.
The company says because of its potential scale, grade and growth options, Ricciardo is a major focus this year.
We are very excited about the opportunity at our main deposit Ricciardo. The value proposition is simple, we drill under existing pits into high-grade gold shoots and build the resources. The deposit sits on a superb haul road and is within trucking distance to several mills, including our own. Warriedar Resources managing director and chief executive officer Dr Amanda Buckingham
The company says a follow-up diamond drilling program is planned at Ricciardo following the completion of RC drilling. Management also plans to evaluate the project’s early mining potential via cutback of its existing pits.
Ricciardo is on a granted mining lease, is accessible via haul road and sits about 8km from the company’s existing oxide process plant. It is also just 26km away from 29Metals’ neighbouring Golden Grove plant.
Several other gold mills are also in the region, including Silver Lake Resources’ Deflector mill and Ramelius Resources’ Mt Magnet processing plant.
Warriedar also has the promising nearby Fields Find project where recent RC drilling produced hits such as 4m at 5g/t from 92m at the Mopoke prospect, in addition to 8m at 1.46g/t from 24m and 4m going 1.58g/t from 25m at the Sandpiper prospect.
A promising copper hit of 1m at 1.66 per cent from 34m was also recorded from the program.
With the Ricciardo prospect continually delivering results that leave many other gold projects in its rear-vision mirror, Warriedar will be hoping it has only just started tearing up the tarmac.
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