Terrain Minerals has intercepted “exciting” new gold zones at three prospects at its Smokebush project in Western Australia’s Murchison goldfield, including a 3m hit going 4.86 grams per tonne gold at the Monza prospect where strike length has now more than doubled to 700m. First pass drilling has also hit a new mineralised structural zone at Monza North with returns including 3m at 1.53 g/t gold from 39m.
The results come from 12 reverse circulation holes at the 80 per cent owned Monza prospect targeting extensions at depth and to the north of previously intercepted mineralisation.
About 4km south, a further three holes were probing for down-plunge and eastern extensions of mineralisation at the 100 per cent owned Paradise City prospect.
The wide spaced drilling at Monza has now grown the strike by 400m with one hole intercepting four mineralised zones of 1m at 1.62 g/t gold from 64m, 3m at 3.62 g/t from 73m, 4m at 2.71 g/t from 89m and 1m at 0.58 g/t gold from 105m.
Other new hits include 3m at 2.07 g/t from 87m and 2m at 1.67 g/t gold from 57m.
Some 100m to the north at Monza North, latest drilling has intercepted a previoulsy unknown mineralised structural zone.
Results include 3m at 1.53 g/t from 39m, with another hole hitting 1m at 0.54 g/t from 74m and another 1m at 2.36 g/t gold from 91m.
The prospect is reported to be open along strike and down dip.
Intriguingly, Terrain believes the gold zone at Monza North to be distinct from Monza suggesting potential for other mineralised sturctural zones in the area.
Grades at Monza and Monza North also appear to be improving at depth.
Last year Terrain returned several solid intercepts at Monza including 7m at 2.72 g/t gold from 25m and 6m at 2.12 g/t from 80m. Historical drilling also delivered stellar hits including 2m at 11.34 g/t gold from 70m and 2m at 9.2 g/t from just 24m.
About 4km south at Paradise City, drilling has hit mineralisation 50m to the east of historical intercepts with new gold sniffs including 1m at 0.85 g/t gold from 14m and 1m at 1.18 g/t from 29m in the same hole.
Terrain believes Paradise City shows geological similarities to Monza. The new intercepted zone is interpreted by the company to be 20 to 25m wide and provides a new mineralised structure for future follow-up.
Past drilling at the Paradise City returned 3m at 2.17 g/t gold from just 10m and 2m at 3.61 g/t from 15m.
Numerous high-grade rock chip samples going at up to 49.27 g/t gold have also been reported at the prospect.
Terrain is now evaluating follow-up exploration for the three prospects.
The company has identified potential drill targets down dip and along trend at Monza and along strike in two directions at Monza North. It is also sizing up potential strike extensions at Paradise City.
A regional aircore drilling program may also be on the cards for the broader 3,862-hectare Smokebush landholdings.
Smokebush lies some 65km west of the historical Paynes Find mining centre and 350km north-east of Perth. The tenure sits on the Yalgoo greenstone belt hosting the nearby long-running Golden Grove copper-zinc mine, the Minjar gold mining complex and the Mt Mulgine tungsten-gold deposit.
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By Matt Birney
