Native Minerals hunting WA gold at Music Well

Native Mineral Resources has rolled up its sleeves in the hunt for high-grade gold at its Music Well project in WA. A detailed review and interpretation of the exploration datasets covering the company’s tenure has uncovered several high-priority geophysical targets, with rock chipping over the key prospect areas returning assays of over 30 grams per tonne gold.

The company’s desk-top review of the Music Well project included a modern interpretation of the geological terrane which has identified several regional faults and shears that seemingly host the architecture for gold mineralisation in the region.

Native Minerals’ tenure is surrounded by a wealth of operating gold mines including the Gwalia mine to the south, King of Hills to the west and the developing Mertondale deposits to the south-east. Importantly, the geology of the project shows strong similarities to Saracen Mineral’s high-grade Bundarra gold project, which is located just 3 kilometres to the west of Native Mineral western tenement boundary and hosts a number of historical intrusive-related deposits within a 10km shear zone which is wholly hosted with the granitic basement rocks.

The recognition of intrusive-related gold mineralisation has led to a renaissance in gold exploration across Western Australia, with the discovery of the multi-million-ounce Hemi deposit in the Pilbara leading the way. Explorers such as Venus Metals and Classic Minerals have also begun to outline extensive granite-hosted ore systems along strike from historical mining operations.

Music Well is located in a prime jurisdiction, surrounded by several world-class gold deposits, and the availability of new datasets and new interpretations as well as the presence of multiple positive gold indicators places NMR in a unique position to quickly and effectively target the known gold-bearing structures at Music Well in early exploration. Initial field work is due to commence at Music Well this quarter and details on the finalized programme will be provided to the market shortly.

Music Well is located around 60km north-east of Leonora in the North Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. The project comprises two granted exploration licenses that cover around 270 square kilometres of the cratonic basement stratigraphy between the Leonora and Mertondale greenstone belts and is prospective for multiple styles of structurally hosted gold mineralisation and auriferous intrusive gold systems.

The company has compiled the historical exploration data over Music Well and prioritised several target areas based upon hydrogeochemistry, rock chipping and shallow drilling undertaken by previous explorers. The key target located near Nambi station is a 2km by 3km gold anomaly located in the pressure shadow of a late-stage granite intrusion – a text-book site to host significant gold mineralisation.

Reconnaissance over the Nambi target shows the sub-cropping stratigraphy to be sheared basement rocks with a stock-work of gold-bearing quartz veining, which has yielded a number of rock chips grading up to 34.8 g/t gold. Whilst the target at Nambi already extends over more than 3km of strike, an interpretation of the regional magnetic data shows the host shear zone to follow the margin of the granite intrusion and extend for more than 15km below recent cover within the tenement area presenting a sizable target for ongoing exploration.

Native Mineral’s is looking to kick-off field work at Music Well in early February 2021. With a collection of high-grade samples already on the books at Nambi, it is likely to quickly advance the prospect to drilling as the company expands its exploration program across Australia and into WA’s iconic goldfields region.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@wanews.com.au