An emerging world class zinc and lead discovery in WA continues to get bigger with Zenith Minerals and Rumble Resources making a new find 8km from the Earaheedy JV’s flagship Chinook prospect.

Known as Tonka, the discovery of flat-lying zinc, lead and silver mineralisation 8km southeast of Chinook demonstrates the belt scale potential of the project, which Zenith Minerals (ASX:ZNC) holds a 25% stake in.

The new zone was found on one key drill section and in sparse step-out drilling and measures a whopping 1.7km by 1km.

That is only the initial footprint, with the prospect still open in all directions.

Results from the discovery program included 22m at 4.27% zinc-lead and 5.4g/t silver from 110m, 10m at 3.93% Zn-Pb and 4.34g/t silver from 84m, and 5m at 5.03% Zn-Pb and 9.74g/t silver from 101m.

Drilling to be expanded 

Rumble, the manager of the JV, will boost the 2021 program to 50,000m of drilling including further work to scope the Tonka discovery.

It has confirmed that Chinook is not the end of the zinc story at Earaheedy, which includes multiple host units across 45km of strike in a largely underexplored area near Wiluna in the centre of WA.

Indeed, the Earaheedy JV is now emerging as a major regional play, with multiple discoveries since April and more high quality prospects including the Magazine prospect 1.3km southeast of Tonka.

“I am very pleased to report on ongoing exploration drilling success at Earaheedy,” Zenith CEO Michael Clifford said.

“A new Zn-Pb-Ag discovery at Tonka, in regional exploration drilling, confirms the highly prospective nature of the Earaheedy Joint Venture ground.

“The success to date has resulted in a further expansion of the 2021 drill campaign to 50,000m. I am also looking forward to announcing further assay results from the ongoing drilling program, as they come to hand over the coming weeks.”

Bulk potential

While the high-grade hits at Tonka will be the headline makers, large low-grade intersections reported by Zenith’s partner Rumble at Tonka’s southwest end will also bolster confidence the JV partners are sitting on a large field of zinc-lead mineralisation.

They were found in a fractured and faulted purple shale below the rocks that host the high-grade Chinook and Tonka discoveries.

Results included 102m at 0.5% Zn-Pb from 77m and 121m @ 0.54% Zn-Pb from 8m.

Rumble says those results highlight the potential for large-scale deposits in the Purple Shale and Iroquois Carbonate Units below the unconformity, as identified in recent drilling by neighbour Strickland Metals.

These features remain untested at Earaheedy, which is emerging as a complex and multi-faceted zinc-lead-silver sulphide domain.

 

 

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Zenith Minerals, 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.