Novo Resources drills 0.67 g/t gold over 20 metres at Becher, Australia
Novo Resources Corp. [NVO-TSX; NSRPF-OTCQX] provided an exploration update on the company’s drilling program in the 100%-owned Becher area of the Egina district, Western Australia.
Standout gold results have been intersected on the southern Irvine Shear corridor including 20 metres of 0.67 g/t gold, as part of the current aircore drilling program at the high priority Becher Area in the Egina District.
Over 650 shallow aircore holes for 16,500 metres of the >30,000-metre program have been completed. The aircore program will test multiple structural and intrusive targets along a series of significant mineralized corridors, some interpreted to extend to De Grey Mining’s Hemi gold deposit within the Mallina gold project.
Several additional quartz veined, large-scale sericite-silica-sulphide alteration zones have been identified from drilling across the Irvine and Whillans Shear corridors, with assays pending.
Deeper reverse circulation (RC) drilling will commence in November 2022, designed to follow-up significant aircore results and test discrete drill targets within the Becher Area. Numerous targets have been enhanced or newly identified from a recent high resolution aeromagnetic and radiometric survey, coupled with detailed ground gravity surveys which have advanced structural interpretation and geological understanding.
Two heritage surveys were recently completed, enabling infill and extensional aircore drilling traverses and RC drilling to be completed for the remainder of 2022 and first half of 2023.
Initial results from the Becher Area, combined with previously reported results from Nunyerry North1, reconfirm potential for the Egina District to be a standalone gold production hub.
“Our first aircore drill results have yielded strong gold results at the Becher Area,” commented Dr. Quinton Hennigh, Non-Executive Co-Chairman of Novo, “indicating that the Whillans and Irvine shear zones are indeed prospective for deposits similar to those at De Grey’s adjacent Mallina project. Aircore drilling, a means of rapid, shallow drilling widely used across Australia as a first pass means of testing new areas for mineralization, is proving highly effective at Becher. Several large-scale anomalies are emerging, the largest of which is 650 metres across and situated along the southern Irvine shear zone. Although we have lots more drilling to complete and results to come in, the anomalies suggest that deeper drill testing is required.”
Exploration programs testing high-priority structural and intrusive-related gold targets are in progress after two heritage surveys were recently completed at the Becher Area. The exploration programs comprise of systematic regional aircore drilling, with over 650 holes for 16,500 metres of a >30,000-metre program completed to date and a deeper RC drilling program, which will follow-up significant aircore results and test discrete drill targets within the Becher Area, scheduled to commence in November 2022. The Becher Area drilling program is expected to continue in 2023.
Initial results generated from drilling at Becher Area and Nunyerry North reconfirm the potential of the Egina District to support a standalone production hub, with follow-up drilling to test multiple targets in 2023. Results referred to in this news release are not necessarily representative of mineralization throughout the Egina District.
Results have been received from the first assay batch of 4-metre composite samples analysed by PhotonAssay for the southernmost drill lines on the Irvine Shear Corridor. Four zones for infill aircore drilling have been identified from geological logging and current assay return. 1-metre split samples and multielement assays are pending for anomalous drill holes.
Best intercepts include 6 metres of 0.15 g/t gold from 24 metres (A0028); 12 m of 0.16 g/t Au from 12 m (A0029); 8 m 0.22 g/t Au from 4 m (A0033); 20 m of 0.67 g/t Au from 0 m (A0034); 12 mof 0.24 g/t Au from 0 m (A0035); and 6 mof 0.21 g/t Au from 24 m (A0038).
The geology of the Nunyerry North target area includes quartz vein-related gold mineralization within a sequence of ultramafic komatiites and mafic rocks, juxtaposed by regional shears and offset faults. Novo’s exploration licence 47/2973 is 70%-owned, with the remaining 30% held by Mark Creasy and entities controlled by him.
A significant high-order gold soil anomaly at Nunyerry North now extends over 1.4 km of strike, with a second 1.2 km long soil anomaly at >30 ppb gold defined south of the main target. Rock chip sampling returned peak high-grade results from quartz veins including 8.81 g/t Au, 7.39 g/t Au and 1.23 g/t Au. Further detailed mapping has defined additional swarms of quartz veins and specimen gold has been detected in the main target area.
Follow-up work planned includes heritage surveys and logistics for road access in preparation for drilling in 2023.
Novo explores and develops its prospective land package covering approximately 10,500 km2 in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, including the Beatons Creek gold project, along with two joint ventures in the Bendigo region of Victoria, Australia.