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Lefroy’s deepest hole to date at the Burns copper-gold system has established that there’s more mineralisation at depth and along strike.
Hole LEFD006, which was co-funded by the Western Australian government under its Exploration Incentive Scheme, was completed to a downhole depth of 1,245.8m and intersected a suite of diorite-porphyry units over a broad 195m downhole interval from a depth of 710m.
These units – broadly grouped as the Central Porphyry – have established that the vertical continuity of the intrusive system previously found by shallower drilling extends to about 1,000m from surface and that it remains open for further extension along strike and at depth.
Adding further interest for Lefroy Exploration (ASX:LEX), the hole has established four key geological domains, including the Central Porphyry suite, which define a combined 600m width to the intrusive system and provide further evidence that Burns is a large-scale mineral system.
Each geological domain has a different alteration and mineralisation assemblage – a strong hint that Burns is a multi-stage mineral and porphyry system.
“This is an exciting phase of drilling at Burns where we are now demonstrating the larger scale of the alteration zonation and the extent of the multiphase porphyry intrusions, which extend to at least 1000m below surface,” managing director Wade Johnson said.
“There is a large body of altered rock outboard of the Central Porphyry, with a width of at least 600m, which now extends at least 240m to the south of LEFD006, as observed in LEFD007a.
“We continue to believe it is indicative of a mineralised, hydrothermal, Archean age porphyry system, with an alteration footprint that is broader than we have anticipated.”
LEFD006 is the first of two holes being drilled with EIS co-funding with the second – LEFD007a located 240m to the south – now underway.
Both holes are aimed at increasing the company’s understanding of the scale and genesis of the Burns system, which is a new and unique style of an intrusion-related gold-copper mineral system in the Eastern Goldfields region.
LEFD006 hole was designed to expand the continuity of the Burns mineralisation discovered to date on a vertical scale, to test the lateral extent of the system by 250m to the west, and to provide geological and geochemical information to support ongoing research.
Meanwhile, LEFD007a has a modelled depth of 500m and is designed to intersect the down-plunge extent of a modelled high-grade gold-copper zone defined by holes LEFR260 and LEFR320.
This hole has intersected multiple intervals containing native copper within the altered Western Basalt.
This article was developed in collaboration with Lefroy Exploration, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.