Gateway Mining Starts Big Gold Search in Western Australia

Gateway Mining is starting a large drilling project in early March at its Yandal gold site in Western Australia. They found signs that suggest there could be a lot of gold there. Another company, Premier1 Lithium, is also starting to drill for gold nearby.
By Newsroom | Mining, Australia |

Gateway Mining is stepping up its exploration efforts in Western Australia, focusing on its Yandal gold project. The company is preparing to commence a significant drilling program at the Great Western prospect in early March. This move comes as Gateway has identified promising geological signs suggesting the potential for a substantial gold system in the region.

Yandal Project: A New Frontier

Gateway Mining's Yandal gold project in Western Australia is the focus of upcoming exploration. The company is readying drilling equipment for a large-scale campaign at the Great Western prospect, slated to begin in early March. This area has shown gold in soil anomalies and the presence of gold nuggets across the eastern edge of a specific rock formation known as dolerite.

  • The geological setup at Great Western shares notable similarities with established gold mining areas in Eastern Goldfields.

  • These include Northern Star's Jundee mine and the Junction deposit near St Ives.

  • Geologists have confirmed that the structural and rock types at Great Western resemble those found in successful dolerite-hosted gold deposits elsewhere.

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Management believes that the combination of a fault zone, a promising dolerite rock type, and signs of gold in the soil and as nuggets all point to the possibility of discovering a large gold deposit.

Gateway readies rigs for 16km WA gold play - 1

Premier1 Lithium Also Targets Western Australian Gold

Separately, Premier1 Lithium is also preparing to drill at its Mt Kersey gold prospect within the Murchison region of Western Australia. This is part of their broader Yalgoo Gold Project.

  • Premier1 recently acquired full ownership of the Yalgoo project, which covers a large area of known gold-bearing greenstone belt.

  • The project already has an initial estimated resource at the Wadgingarra prospect. This resource is calculated at 150,000 tonnes of ore grading 2.7 grams of gold per tonne, totaling 13,000 ounces of gold.

  • Previous surface work at Mt Kersey yielded high-grade gold samples, with assays reaching up to 26.4g/t and 14.2g/t near old mining sites.

Gateway's Mustang Prospect Shows Promise

Earlier exploration by Gateway Mining at its Yandal project, specifically at the Mustang prospect, has indicated the presence of a large-scale gold system. A 44,000-meter drilling program using aircore rigs provided early results that suggest significant potential.

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  • The Mustang prospect shows gold anomalies along a key contact zone between different rock types, similar to high-grade gold found elsewhere on the project.

  • Initial wide-spaced drilling identified several areas with gold indications, particularly around structural features and intrusive rock targets.

  • These target zones are characterized by multiple layers of gold-bearing veins found along the boundaries of intermediate and mafic volcanic rocks, as well as intrusive margins. This geological setting is known to host high-grade gold in the Yandal region.

New Gold System Identified at Hummer

Gateway Mining has also reported shallow gold mineralisation at a new prospect called Hummer, located west of its Haflinger discovery within the Yandal camp. This discovery stems from wide-spaced aircore drilling aimed at a fault structure linked to the significant Celia Shear Zone.

Gateway readies rigs for 16km WA gold play - 2

  • This shear zone is recognized as a primary geological feature supporting gold deposits across Gateway's Horse Well gold camp.

  • The company suggests that this area might experience increased gold concentration and potentially higher grades as drilling progresses along the strike.

  • The geological pattern at Yandal typically shows stacked gold veins forming along sheared contacts between intermediate volcanics, mafic volcanic units, and intrusive edges. If drilling at Hummer continues to show positive results, it could lead to the identification of another important gold system in the Yandal belt.

Gateway Mining's Strategic Position

Gateway Mining is actively working to advance its gold exploration in Western Australia, leveraging the state's mineral wealth. The company's strategy involves careful exploration and integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, including low-impact mining methods.

Expert Analysis

Geologists observing Gateway's exploration at Great Western note the significance of the dolerite-hosted system. “The textural zonation and chilled margins are textbook indicators for potential mineralization, especially when coupled with soil and nugget anomalies,” stated a senior geologist familiar with the Eastern Goldfields. This aligns with the company's assessment of a potentially large gold system.

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Similarly, the findings at Mustang and Hummer by Gateway are being watched closely. The identification of gold along specific geological contacts, like those between volcanic and intrusive rocks, is a well-understood pathway for gold accumulation. “These layered mineralised zones along structural contacts are precisely what explorers look for in the Yandal belt,” commented an industry analyst.

Conclusion

Gateway Mining is advancing its exploration strategy in Western Australia with a focus on its Yandal gold project. The upcoming drilling at the Great Western prospect, alongside recent findings at Mustang and Hummer, suggests a potentially significant gold system is being delineated. The company's approach leverages established geological understanding of dolerite-hosted gold deposits. Meanwhile, Premier1 Lithium is also initiating drilling at its Mt Kersey prospect, indicating broader exploration activity in Western Australia's gold regions. The success of these campaigns will depend on the results from the ongoing and planned drilling programs.

Sources Used

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Gateway Mining doing?
Gateway Mining is starting a big drilling project to look for gold in Western Australia. They will start in early March.
Q: Where is this happening?
This is happening at Gateway Mining's Yandal gold project in Western Australia.
Q: Why are they looking for gold there?
They found signs that show there might be a lot of gold in the ground in that area.
Q: Are other companies looking for gold too?
Yes, Premier1 Lithium is also starting to drill for gold in the same part of Western Australia.