Exploration Gold and Silver
White Rock has defined a pipeline of exploration prospects for staged advancement and drill testing concurrent with the development of the current Resource base. The portfolio comprises both near mine and regional targets.
Mt Carrington Exploration Target Portfolio.
The portfolio includes more than 20 near mine targets proximal to the Mining Leases at Mt Carrington, White Rock and Red Rock. Targets have been defined by electrical geophysics, geochemical sampling and prospect mapping with drill testing completed at Mozart, Lead Block, Kelly’s, and Mt Carrington Prospects on the central leases as well as at Main Adit and Deadman’s on the Red Rock leases, the latter which resulted in a maiden gold Mineral Resource.
Drilling on the main Mt Carrington leases also encountered encouraging mineralisation for further follow-up. It is expected that drilling of the remaining targets will have similar success with the likelihood that a number of these targets deliver an ongoing pipeline of Resources once development and production commences.
The targets have been ranked into high (Tier A), moderate (Tier B) and low (Tier C) priority follow-up categories, as per the diagram below which illustrates the targets proximal to the Main Mt Carrington Mining Leases.
The Mt Carrington Exploration Licence covers 183km², focused on the prospective Drake Volcanics stratigraphy. Regional exploration by White Rock has generated a portfoilio of prospects through a systematic and structured program with work including:
A high resolution airborne magnetic survey over a 400km² region in the central section of Drake Volcanics, focused on the Drake Quiet Zone (a circular feature which was subsequently confirmed through mapping to be a collapsed volcanic caldera). The magnetic survey has provided a highly detailed dataset on which to base future regional exploration in the Drake Quiet Zone.
A structural interpretation of the regional setting of the Drake Volcanics that has provided the framework for identifying key structural controls to focusing fluids associated with mineralisation.
A regional geochemical stream sediment sampling program covering the EL’s was completed in three phases. The program has defined 18 geochemical anomalies for follow up investigation.
A review of all previous exploration activities. The review has defined historical prospects and mineral occurrences which require further evaluation.
A detailed volcanic mapping program completed over two years that has provided the volcano-stratigraphic architecture with which to identify and prioritise prospects.
The target generation work has identified more than 40 regional targets which have been ranked A, B or C priority. Twelve ‘Tier A’ targets have been prioritised for exploration with a general bias of these ‘Tier A’ targets situated directly on, adjacent to or within 5km of the inner and outer caldera margins. Rank B and C targets are strung out along the greater extent of the Drake Volcanics and associated with local or regional magnetic structures, intrusive contacts, K/Th radiometric highs, mineral occurrences, and local soil/rock/stream sediment geochemistry highs.
Prospect work to date has included detailed soil sampling, electrical geophysics, prospect mapping and rock chips sampling on 10 of the prospects. A focus on the Resource drilling and development studies has delayed further advancement of the regional prospects to date with only two prospects drilled to date. Further regional drill testing is planned to proceed on five of the most advanced regional prospects with further prospect exploration activities continuing to add drill targets at the remaining prospects identified.