Great Southern Mining Ignites Deep Drilling at Duketon Gold Project
Great Southern Mining has launched its inaugural deep diamond drilling campaign at the Golden Boulder discovery, a pivotal component of its entirely owned Duketon gold project situated in Western Australia. This significant undertaking represents a substantial escalation in the company’s exploration strategy, as it seeks to uncover the foundational “engine room” of a gold system that has already been identified across an impressive 3.5-kilometre strike length.
The cornerstone of this new program is a deep diamond drill hole targeting the Ogilvies prospect, with plans to reach a formidable depth of up to 700 metres. This high-impact drill hole is receiving partial funding from the Western Australian Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme, underscoring the considerable regional importance of this target.
Crucially, this marks the very first diamond drilling ever conducted in this specific area, and it will see the drill bit penetrate beyond the previous maximum depth of 155 metres within the primary mineralised zone. By delving deeper, Great Southern aims to rigorously test the primary structural controls that are believed to be the ultimate source of the numerous shallow gold intersections previously identified at surface.
Great Southern Mining’s Managing Director, Matthew Keane, expressed his optimism, stating that the company is confident that the gold mineralisation encountered in shallower drilling to date may well be the surface manifestation of a far more significant gold system residing at depth.
Expanding the Exploration Footprint
A second diamond drill hole is also slated to commence, designed to investigate the “Main Line” mineralisation within the extensive 3.5-kilometre Golden Boulder system. This particular zone has already yielded some encouraging results from prior reverse circulation (RC) drilling efforts. Among these successes was a standout intersection of 5 metres grading 14.57 grams per tonne (g/t) of gold from a depth of 41 metres, which included a spectacular 1-metre interval grading a remarkable 70.94 g/t of gold.
Other notable historical intersections from this area include:
- A significant 1-metre sample grading 34.5 g/t of gold, situated within a broader 6-metre section that averaged 6.7 g/t of gold from 48 metres.
- A third drill hole that intersected 5 metres grading 5.1 g/t of gold from a depth of 25 metres.
The current drilling activity at Duketon is merely the beginning of what promises to be an intensive exploration phase. Great Southern has indicated that it is already making preparations for a substantial follow-up program. This will involve an extensive 10,000 to 15,000 metres of reverse circulation drilling, scheduled to commence in late April or May.
This subsequent drilling blitz is set to target both the Golden Boulder prospect and the rapidly emerging Amy Clarke discovery. Previous air core drilling at Amy Clarke has successfully defined mineralisation extending over a considerable 4.7-kilometre strike length.
Standout results from earlier exploration at Amy Clarke have included:
- An impressive 2-metre intersection grading a potent 23.9 g/t of gold from a shallow depth of just 10 metres.
- Another drill hole that returned 17 metres grading 1.4 g/t of gold from 20 metres, which notably contained a 1-metre interval grading 11.2 g/t of gold.
Diversifying the Exploration Portfolio
Further bolstering its exploration pipeline, the company has recently completed an 800-metre diamond drill hole at the Diorite Hill Layered Intrusive Complex, part of its East Laverton project. The core logging and sampling processes are now underway, aiming to assess the potential for platinum group elements (PGEs) and base metals within this geological setting.
With its financial reserves significantly strengthened by a recent capital raising of A$4.6 million earlier this month, Great Southern Mining is well-funded and poised to maintain a high level of drilling activity.
Great Southern is clearly accelerating its operations at Duketon. With large-scale drilling rigs now probing the depths of a substantial 3.5-kilometre gold system and a healthy cash balance, the coming months are anticipated to be a period of significant developments and potential breakthroughs for the company. Investors and market observers are expected to keenly await the upcoming assay results, which will provide critical insights into the true potential of these newly targeted zones.
