Godolphin Resources is one step closer to starting its diamond drill program at its Narraburra rare earth project in NSW following its submission to the NSW Resources Regulator.
The six-hole program has been fast-tracked after previously approved air core drilling was postponed because of waterlogged land conditions.
The air core program was designed to support the reclassification of the existing inferred mineral resource estimate of 73.2 million tonnes at 1250 grams per tonne zirconium oxide and 327 g/t rare earth oxides for 91,500 tonnes of contained zirconium oxide and 23,950 tonnes of rare earth element oxides.
The project’s previous owner, ASX-delisted Capital Mining, completed the assessment in 2011 and does not comply with the contemporary reporting standards established in 2012.
Godolphin will start diamond drilling once it receives regulator approval and the air core program will commence when weather conditions improve.
Despite the disruption to its air core drilling program, the company says its main focus is to continue exploration activities at the project.
North-east of Narraburra, Godolphin received results from its down-hole electromagnetic survey at its Lewis Ponds project that identified three off-hole conductors, two that are yet to be drilled. The conductors will provide drill targets with the potential to extend the site’s mineral resource.
Results from a recent soil sampling program north of Lewis Ponds show two areas of coincident anomalous gold and an electromagnetic survey anomaly, similar to the response at the site’s main mineralised zones.
To the south of Narraburra, Godolphin received assay results from 161 soil samples, eight rock chip samples, two diamond drill holes and one reverse circulation drill hole at its fully owned Gundagai South gold project, with a focus on the Big Ben and Surprise Hill North prospects.
Godolphin Managing Director, Jeneta Owens said: “While the drilling at Surprise Hill North does not fully explain the surface soil anomalism, it will give us an indication on what next steps need to be undertaken for future exploration. To have visible gold in a surface rock sample from Big Ben is very encouraging and we will need to evaluate this along with the latest drill results to design the best possible path forward for these two prospects.”
Drilling at Big Ben has targeted historic rock-chip samples from exposed quartz veins in nearby quarry walls and the company believes the mapped felsic porphyry unit is the source of gold mineralisation. Two holes, including one RC and one diamond, were drilled at the prospect and intercepted anomalous gold and copper
The drill program at Surprise Hill North included one diamond drill hole targeting mapped felsic porphyry dykes and testing highly anomalous gold from historic soils programs.
Multiple narrow gold zones were intersected that returned highly anomalous results of 0.65 grams per tonne.
Godolphin says the Narraburra project is recognised as a critical minerals project by the Federal Government’s Australian Trade and Investment Commission.
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By Matt Birney
