Just a day after upgrading ore reserves at its namesake project, Wiluna’s very first hole at the Bulletin North target has intersected a narrow but extremely high-grade zone.

Hole WUDD0076 hit a 0.3m intercept grading a massive 3,270 grams per tonne gold in free milling vein-style mineralisation and a potential new sulphide shoot with an intercept of 10m at 2.8g/t including 1.5m at 8.3g/t gold.

But that’s not all, infill drilling at the Happy Jack resource has returned further wide, high-grade intercepts such as 11.95m grading 6.04g/t gold while grade control drilling has validated geology modelling and supports the immediate production profile at Bulletin and Happy Jack for the ramp-up of sulphide concentrate production.

Separately, Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) is planning grassroots lithium and nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE sulphide exploration on its regional tenure.

This work will assist the company in assessing opportunities to monetise its nickel and lithium assets in its large tenement package for our shareholders.

All this comes just a day after the company upgraded ore reserves at the Wiluna Mining Centre to 36.8Mt at 1.20 g/t for 1.42Moz contained gold.

 

Discovery drilling campaign

The bonanza gold hit at Bulletin was part of the 40,000m Discovery drilling campaign to test nine targets for new high-grade sulphide shoots “under the headframe” at WIluna.

This is aimed at finding high-grade shoots such as the Bulletin shoot which could substantially enhance the early years of the current mining plan with the intention of increasing the underground ore grade.

Initial targets include shallow strike extensions in the upper 600m on both the East and West structures, and below the major historical production areas.

Drilling is in progress at Bulletin North, East Lode South, and on the first of eight deep holes at the East & West Lower targets, which will see some of the deepest holes ever completed at Wiluna to 1,850m downhole depth.

At Bulletin North, the first 12 holes have intersected high-grade sulphide mineralisation approximately 150m along strike to the north of the current resource limits in a modelled new shoot location.

The current Discovery program tests for a repeat of the Bulletin Main shoot, in a target area from 100 to 500m along strike, in an area that has never been tested despite the large-scale, high-grade past production and high-grade intersections in very shallow holes at surface.

 

Resource development

Meanwhile, resource development drilling has continued to consistently deliver thick, high-grade intercepts over the past 18 months from targeted locations at shallow depths, and close to previous development that is easily accessible for rapid low-cost production.

Drilling is ongoing with four diamond drill rigs currently underground at Wiluna to define additional resources and reserves, and to fully scope out the scale of the multi-million ounce Wiluna ore body.

Happy Jack also shows potential for resource growth where holes have intersected the mineralised shear zone outside of the current Inferred and Indicated resource limits.

 

Nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE exploration

Wiluna also has the potential for nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE mineralisation with high-grade nickel sulphides drilled by previous project operators at the Bodkin prospect.

However, despite the tenure extending along the same ultramafic belt that hosts world-class deposits such as BHP’s Honeymoon Well and Mouth just 40km and 80km to the south, exploration has not advanced since the onset of the Global Financial Crisis in 2009.

The tenure is also prospective for lithium-caesium-tantalum type pegmatites as shown by the discovery of Liontown’s Mt Mann-Kathleen Valley LCT pegmatite group just 90 km to the south within the same greenstone belt.

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Wiluna Mining, 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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