Drilling at Manhattan’s Clone prospect has uncovered a new high-grade gold discovery with drilling intersecting mineralisation over a strike extent of more than 250m.

While all 10 drill holes intersected significant mineralisation, the standouts were hole CL0010 with a 9m intercept grading 6.03 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from a down-hole depth of just 16m and hole CL0007 with 7m at 7.23g/t gold from 81m including 3m at 16.1g/t gold.

Clone is located 7km north-northwest of and within a similar geological setting to the “Main Zone” of the company’s advanced New Bendigo prospect.

Notably, it highlights the potential for Manhattan Corporation (ASX:MHC) to discover a ‘district-scale’ gold play as the 25km geological structure includes the Hot Soils and Pioneer prospects that returned a 5m intercept at 6.96g/t gold from limited reverse circulation drilling in 2022.

Drilling of nine holes at New Bendigo to evaluate the controls on high-grade mineralisation and visible gold identified in previous drilling also returned significant mineralisation such as 13m grading 2.57g/t gold from 41m including 3m at 8.71g/t gold from 47m (NB0135) and 7m at 4.76g/t gold from 82m including 3m at 8.96g/t gold (NB0131).

“The recent drilling completed at the ‘Clone’ and ‘New Bendigo’ prospects highlights the potential of this district scale landholding to host significant shallow high-grade gold,” executive director Kell Nielsen said.

“Whilst further drilling at Clone is being planned, the results from New Bendigo will be reviewed by MHC’s structural consultants, prior to further drilling, with the goal to develop a sustainable model that targets the higher-grade gold.

“It is anticipated that this targeting model can then be utilised across the entire project, including the recently drilled ‘Clone’ and ‘Pioneer’ prospects.”

Clone drilling

Drilling at the Clone prospect targeted a small portion of the identified workings, which consist of historical mining shafts down to between 20m and 40m below surface that have a similar extent of strike (about 450m) to New Bendigo’s Main Zone.

Clone occurs within a similar geological setting (lithological and structural) and has reported historical rock chip sampling of quartz vein material of up to 25.6g/t gold.

Results from this initial program are highly encouraging and further drilling is now required to test the mineralisation to the north, south and at depth where mineralisation remains open in all directions.

Historical trenching carried out about 150m east of the main line of historical workings also uncovered mineralised veins that have yet to be drill tested.

New Bendigo structural drilling

Over at New Bendigo, results from the drilling to test the initial structural model will now be incorporated into the 3D model that was created to assess the relationship between the various structural features and existing drilling coverage proximal to the new Bendigo workings.

The model previously suggested that the high-grade gold mineralisation intersected in drilling is related to the intersections between the regional penetrative fabric, fabric sub-parallel quartz veins, cross cutting quartz veins and discrete shears.

Structural consultants noted that intersection lineations between these structural elements may exert a plunge control on gold mineralisation, promoting formation of discrete high-grade shoots within the shear system.

Manhattan expects that the new results will be able to help develop a sustainable model to target the higher-grade gold that can then be utilised across the project

 

 

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Manhattan Corporation, 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.

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