Strata Minerals ready to roll out maiden gold drilling at Zelica

• Strata Minerals set to begin 2000m RC program before the end of the month
• The program will focus on infill and step out drilling
• Around 20 holes planned at recently acquired Zelica project

Special Report: Strata Minerals is moving quickly to launch its maiden drilling at the newly acquired Zelica gold project in WA, with rigs to start turning before the end of the month.

The company has secured a reverse circulation drill rig and received program of works (PoW) approval, clearing the way for the first systematic drilling at Zelica in more than a decade.

Strata’s (ASX:SMX) upcoming 2000m program, consisting of ~20 drill holes, will target a series of high-priority zones along a 1km corridor of gold mineralisation.

Previous work at Zelica outlined high-grade oxide gold and, importantly, the system remains open at depth and along strike – offering plenty of scope for discovery and resource definition.

Historical results highlight the near-surface potential at the asset, with standout intercepts including 9m at 8.8g/t Au from 27m, 5m at 5.87g/t from 10m and 7m at 4.9g/t from 26m.

Several others range from 2.3-5g/t Au, none of which have been followed up for more than 10 years.

Potential for extraction

Strata said the first phase aimed to confirm and extend the high-grade oxide zones, building the foundation for a larger program depending on results.

Only weeks after exercising the option to acquire Zelica, SMX managing director Peter Woods said the company had already secured a rig and received PoW approval – a clear demonstration of the company’s intent to move fast.

“Historical drill results defined high-grade, near surface oxide gold mineralisation along a 1km strike that remains open and untested for over a decade,” he said.

“Located on a granted mining licence and with gold price at record levels, our immediate focus is to validate and expand this mineralisation and assess the potential for near term gold extraction opportunities.”

Zelica sits in the Yundamindra district, between the well-known mining hubs of Leonora and Laverton.

It covers three granted tenements and benefits from easy access, with sealed and station roads leading directly into the area.

It also lies within 50km of several +1Moz gold deposits and multiple operating processing mills, which could prove valuable as exploration progresses.

This article was developed in collaboration with Strata 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.