Wilsons Resource
The Wilsons gold deposit is located 15km north-northeast of the historic Gidgee mill. The current Mineral Resource Estimate for the Wilsons deposit is 2.27Mt @ 5.4g/t Au for 391,500oz above a 1.0 g/t cut-off (Inferred and Indicated) (refer to ASX announcement 12 July 2019).
Gold mineralisation occurs in three lodes hosted by sheared, strongly silica-carbonate-biotite-pyrite-arsenopyrite altered metasedimentary rocks in the footwall to the Wilsons dolerite. The three lodes, named from north to south Wilsons 1, Wilsons 2 and Wilsons 3, occur within a 700m section of the Wilsons Shear Zone and have individual strike lengths of ~120m, 100m and 80m respectively. The deposits have been mined historically by three open cuts to a depth of ~60m. The mineralisation has been drilled to vertical depths, below surface of 570m (Wilsons 1), 470m (Wilsons 2), and 450m (Wilsons 3) with widths varying between 2 and 15m (Figures 1 & 2).
Gold mineralisation in all three lodes plunge to the west-northwest and are open down-plunge, providing significant potential to increase the size of the MRE with further drilling. The current interpretation indicates the possibility for lodes 1 and 2 to coalesce at depth providing potential to increase the strike of the lode mineralisation. Repetition of high grade (>8g/t Au) domains within the plunging shoot geometries will be a high priority target for future drilling. There is also potential for repetition of the lodes along strike to the north and south. Significant intercepts (>95 Au gram x metres) from the Wilsons deposit include:
- 9.0m @ 19.3g/t Au from 360.0m (TTDD051)
- 12.0m @ 12.3g/t Au from 163.0m (TTRC189)
- 16.5m @ 8.3g/t Au from 371.8m (TTDD370W1)
- 9.0m @ 14.6g/t Au from 127.0m (AGDD0018)
- 9.4m @ 13.1g/t Au from 235.8m (AGDD0022)
- 9.7m @ 12.2g/t Au from 308.4m (AGDD0068)
- 18.0m @ 5.9g/t Au from 149.0m (TTDD022)
- 7.1m @ 13.9g/t Au from 154.0m (AGDD0013)
- 12.2m @ 8.0g/t Au from 525.5m (TTDD403W1)
(1.0g/t Au lower cut-off, maximum 3m internal waste – refer to Horizon Gold Limited ASX Announcement dated 15 February 2021 )
Metallurgical testwork completed by Panoramic Resources Limited on the gold-arsenopyrite mineralisation at Wilsons identified a potential processing route to produce an oxidised flotation concentrate then low intensity magnetic separation to produce a gold concentrate. The concentrate is then finely ground and pre-conditioned under acidic conditions at moderate temperature prior to Carbon in Leach (CIL) achieving an overall metallurgical recovery of 87% to 90%[1]. Further metallurgical test work is planned.
Exploration drilling will focus on defining additional high grade shoots along strike to the north of the current resource.
[1] Refer to Panoramic Resources Ltd ASX Announcement dated 27 June 2016 “Corporate Strategy and positive gold results”. CP P.Patrick
Figure 1: Wilsons Deposit Plan
Figure 2: Long Section of the Wilsons Deposit showing inferred ore blocks
