Rediscovering the Potential of the Eastern Yandal Greenstone Belt
Introduction: Strickland Metals has rejuvenated interest in the eastern Yandal greenstone belt in Western Australia, a region once overshadowed by its more prominent western counterpart. This renewed exploration activity has sparked curiosity about the untapped potential between the renowned Jundee and Bronzewing deposits.
The Untapped Potential of the Yandal Belt
Emerging Exploration Interest: The Yandal belt, known for its 24 million ounce gold potential, has seen renewed exploration efforts from companies like Great Western Exploration and Yandal Resources. This surge is propelled by the theory that previous shallow drilling inadequately assessed the deeper geological structures.
Strickland's Success: Strickland's triumph in the area, particularly at Marwari, has prompted neighboring explorers to intensify their efforts. The company's aggressive aircore program and deeper drilling initiatives have uncovered promising signs of deeper gold deposits.
Challenges and Strategies in Exploration
Complex Gold Distribution: Yandal's managing director, Tim Kennedy, emphasizes the complexity of gold distribution in the regolith, underscoring the necessity of deeper drilling to reveal true bedrock potential.
Technological Advancements: New drilling techniques and equipment, such as a more capable RC rig, are being deployed to overcome challenges like swelling clays, aiming to reveal more accurate gold grades.
Promising Prospects and Exploration Targets
Ironstone Well-Barwidgee Project: This project shows striking similarities to Marwari, with a significant regolith anomaly and similar geological features. The upcoming 2500m drilling program aims to explore these similarities further.
Quarter Moon and Flushing Meadows: These additional targets hold significant exploration potential, with Flushing Meadows already indicating a resource of 268,000oz at 1.1gpt.
Great Western's Exploration Efforts
Proof of Concept Success: Great Western's recent drilling has bolstered confidence in the potential of the Barwidgee fault. Encouraging results, including 7m at 1.02gpt, support theories of a substantial gold system.
Future Exploration Plans: The company, with about A$2 million in cash, is planning further drilling next year, guided by magnetic and radiometric data analysis.
Market Response and Future Outlook
Investor Interest: The resurgence of exploration in the Yandal belt has positively influenced the share prices of companies like Strickland and Great Western. Yandal Resources, valued at $9 million, is currently in a trading halt pending a capital raise.
Long-Term Potential: The Yandal greenstone belt's exploration revival, fueled by technological advancements and strategic drilling, holds promise for uncovering significant gold deposits, potentially reshaping the region's mining landscape.
Conclusion: The eastern Yandal greenstone belt is experiencing a renaissance in gold exploration, driven by innovative strategies and deeper drilling techniques. This resurgence, led by companies like Strickland Metals and Yandal Resources, underscores the untapped potential of this historically rich mining region.
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