Helix Resources Ltd (ASX:HLX) will move quickly to drill three targets in a newly identified large-scale anomaly of copper-gold pathfinder elements at its Eastern Group Tenements about 50 kilometres southeast of Nyngan in central NSW.
Auger sampling along the Collerina Trend resulted in the identification of the geochemical anomaly of antimony with anomalous arsenic spanning around 10 kilometres by 2 kilometres.
This anomaly, which is open to the south and west, correlates with gold-rich targets at Max’s Folly and Aldebaran as well as the Widgelands copper target.
These will now be fast-tracked for drilling with Aldebaran and Widgelands not drilled before while anomalous gold results from Max’s Folly have not been followed up.
Advanced techniques
Helix’s executive technical director Kylie Prendergast said: “The Helix team is utilising a number of advanced exploration techniques across our tenements, allowing the company to paint a much more refined picture of the high-grade copper-gold potential in the very prospective Collerina Trend.
"It is always exciting when multi-layered datasets highlight the potential of a target. In this case, a newly identified, large-scale pathfinder (antimony and arsenic) auger anomaly is aligned with a major regional structural position.
"This discovery is further supported by the identification of initial high-grade copper and gold results in rock chips from three target areas.”
Sample results
Assay results have been received for 1,417 auger samples in the Eastern Group in the area northwest of the CZ project.
New gold-rich rock chip sample assays from gossanous material at Aldebaran include:
- 8.95 g/t gold, 0.10% copper and 461 ppm arsenic;
- 1.59 g/t gold, 0.16% copper and 1,420 ppm arsenic; and
- 1.24 g/t gold, 0.19% copper and 727ppm arsenic.
At Widgelands, 13 kilometres northwest of Aldebaran, copper in new rock chip assays from historical workings include:
- 9.16% copper, 0.1 g/t gold and 74 ppm arsenic; and
- 3.97% copper, 0.06 g/t gold and 1,699ppm arsenic.
Anomalous antimony is also present in previous auger sampling at Widgelands with arsenic and antimony being common pathfinders for gold.
Widgelands to Fiveways antimony auger anomaly and rock chip locations.
Given the anomalous arsenic and antimony auger results, the pulps for all auger samples collected in the Eastern Group have been submitted for gold analysis, with results expected in March to April 2024. All future Eastern Group auger samples will also be analysed for gold.
About Eastern Group
The Eastern Group covers about 1,570 square kilometres of copper-prospective stratigraphy in the Girilambone Group, west and southwest of Nyngan.
In 2023 the company commenced a regional-scale exploration program in the Eastern Group, comprising auger geochemical sampling, geological prospecting and reconnaissance rock chip sampling.
Broad coverage auger sampling in the prospective Collerina Trend is ongoing with around 1,700 assays pending and several thousand more first-pass samples planned, subject to cropping and weather events.
These new targets will be prioritised in Helix’s upcoming drill campaign of 15,000 to 25,000 metres campaign across the Western and Eastern Group tenements planned to start next month.
Establishing a pipeline
"With further work, we expect these areas to feature within our upcoming, major drilling campaign, when Helix intends to test 20-30 prospects including 15-20 new undrilled targets,” Prendergast said.
"Following significant regional exploration activity Helix is establishing a pipeline of very encouraging targets which have the potential to deliver a major copper-gold discovery.
"We are very active on our large, strategic land position in the highly endowed, Cobar copper-gold region. That makes our upcoming tests of that target pipeline very exciting for our shareholders.”
Next steps
Auger drilling will continue in the Eastern Group into the June quarter. Helix has two auger rigs operating and is proposing to collect several thousand new samples along the Collerina Trend.
Results are pending for 262 samples that extend the auger coverage in the area southwest of the CZ prospect. Auger sampling is in progress in the Widgelands area, where about 400 samples have been collected to date.
In addition, 1,541 gold assays are pending for the Eastern Group auger samples, with those results expected in March to April 2024.
The Widgelands, Aldebaran and Max’s Folly prospects have been added to the upcoming major drill campaign which will test numerous priority targets over the next few months.