The Maronan project is one of Australia’s largest and highest-grade undeveloped silver resources. Pic via Getty Images
‘Thickened intervals of strong silver’: Maronan Metals hits the jackpot at flagship project in QLD
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- Intersections of potentially mineable widths and grades of silver and lead mineralisation recorded at Maronan Metals’ flagship project
- Shallow oxide copper-gold results have also been returned
- Compilation of the new results is showing ‘excellent’ continuity, reinforcing near-term development potential
Special Report: Latest drilling intersections from Maronan’s advanced project of the same name in northwest Queensland suggest potentially mineable widths of silver with lead mineralisation within the Starter Zone.
Maronan Metals (ASX:MMA) is exploring for lead-silver-copper-gold at its emerging base metals deposit in the world-class Carpentaria Province of northwest Queensland.
The Maronan project is within the same neighbourhood as several Tier 1 lead-zinc-silver mines including Mt Isa, George Fisher and Century, as well as significant copper deposits such as Mt Isa, Ernest Henry, Osborne and Eloise.
MMA has been focused on realising the growth potential of the project through an ongoing exploration program that has seen 16,784m drilled since August 2022.
Strong results from The Eastern Horizon
The latest results from drilling carried out in 2023 point to potentially mineable widths and grades along the Eastern Horizon from shallow depths, ranging between 100-250m below surface.
These include 3.22m at 5.4% lead, 115g/t silver from 197m and 5m at 5.3% lead and 97g/t silver from 122m.
Meanwhile, MMA says holes drilled on the Western Horizon appear to have been overprinted by the later copper-gold mineralisation, which is heavily oxidised.
Significant oxide copper gold intersections include 18.8m at 0.74% copper, 1.43g/t gold from 99.2m and 5.1m at 0.66% copper, 0.44g/t gold from 62m.
Drillhole MRN23020 – targeting deeper extensions to the Eastern Horizon within the Starter Zone – intersected a broad interval of mineralisation over 18.5m averaging 5% lead and 106g/t silver.
Two higher grade intervals were defined within the broader zone, including hits of 6.7m at 7.5% lead, 147g/t silver from 456.5m and 8m at 5.3% lead, 122g/t silver from 467m.
Copper-gold results: the focus of metallurgical test work
“It is exciting to see thickened silver intervals of strong silver with lead mineralisation continuing down plunge, which is consistent with our geological model,” MMA managing director Richard Carlton says.
“We’re also pleased that drilling around the edges of the shoots returned potential mineable widths and grades.
“The shallow oxide copper-gold intersections are significant and will be the subject of metallurgical testing.”
A new geological and resource review is now underway in preparation for an updated mining study.
Metallurgical research on the range of copper-gold mineralisation types and environmental baseline studies have been initiated.
This article was developed in collaboration with Maronan Metals, 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.
