ASX-listed junior explorer Aruma Resources is set to increase its exploration ground-holdings at its Saltwater gold project about 100km south-west of Newman in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The company’s application for an adjoining exploration licence covers the newly identified “prospective” Spinifex dome structure north-west of the project’s fertile Saltwater dome or ring structure.
Perth-based Aruma has been concentrating its recent greenfields exploration efforts on the gold-bearing Saltwater dome, a 60 square-kilometre magnetic and airborne electromagnetic-defined domal structure.
According to the company, results from its recent maiden reverse circulation drilling program at Saltwater – consisting of 40 holes for an aggregate coverage of 4,518m – point to what it describes as a potential new gold camp analogous to Kalamazoo Resources’ Mt Olympus deposit at its Ashburton gold project to the west.
Aruma’s new tenement, which will expand its Saltwater project landholdings to almost 750 sq.km, features the Spinifex dome structure that management suggests is of a similar size to the Saltwater ring structure.
The Spinifex electromagnetic domal structure was identified via electromagnetic anomalies from a recently purchased geophysical dataset that led to the exploration licence application.
Spinifex has been mapped on the Mt McGrath-Duck Creek dolomite contact with the same stratigraphy in the region as the Mt Olympus gold deposit.
Prior to its early-stage RC drilling earlier this year, the company received ample encouragement from trawling through historical geophysical data pertaining to the Saltwater project.
Subsequently it kicked off an electromagnetic survey designed to fill in the gaps in the existing geophysical data.
Aruma says it plans to undertake a round of follow-up drilling at Saltwater in the current quarter.
The project overlies a strike extent of more than 65km of the Nanjilgardy fault, the 450km regional structural trend said to host the primary source of gold mineralisation at Northern Star Resources’ Paulsens gold mine and the Mt Olympus mine.
Aruma’s other Pilbara asset, the 380 sq.km Melrose gold project area, surrounds Paulsens 180km west of Paraburdoo and also straddles the Nanjilgardy fault.
The company has just been granted approval for a maiden 3,000m, first-phase RC drilling program at Melrose’s priority Gossan Hill target.
It says it now intends conducting geophysics, geochemical, mapping and soil sampling surveys to refine drill targets ahead of the drilling, also planned for the current quarter.
The company has snared a seat on the bustling Pilbara gold bandwagon being driven at speed by De Grey Mining and its world-class Hemi discovery at the Mallina project.
Calidus Resources’ developing Warrawoona gold mine, Novo Resources’ now producing Nullagine operations, Kalamazoo’s advanced Ashburton project, Caeneus Minerals’ Roberts Hill play, Kairos Minerals’ Mt York project and Capricorn Metals’ new Karlawinda gold mine are also fuelling the modern-day gold rush.
Aruma’s progress at the historic Saltwater nugget gold area will no doubt be watched with interest by Pilbara punters.
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