Red Rock Resources Australasia Pty Ltd (RRAL) has completed sampling and mapping programmes near Ballarat in the Victoria gold fields, Australia.
DRILL TESTING
The joint venture, comprising Red Rock Resources plc (50.1%) and Power Metal Resources plc (49.9%), collected 1,024 soil and rock chip samples in EL007271 and EL007281 in the old Monmouth/ Enfield and O’Laughlin/Scotsburn mining areas.
The samples will undergo X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and mobile metal irons (MMI) testing to identify southern extensions to the main lode systems of Ballarat East.
RRAL said that 142 soil samples had been collected to date in EL007281 with rock chip sampling, mapping and sampling of road cuttings continuing.
In EL007271, a total of 882 soil samples were collected, of which 84 have been sent for MMI analysis with results expected in the coming weeks.
The JV is also preparing a work plan and stakeholder engagement for trenching around Monmouth as well as an environmental programme including flora and fauna surveys.
Drill testing is expected to begin later in the year.
RRAL director Dave Holden added that there was increasing evidence from previously unknown workings of east-west lines of mineralisation at Monmouth, in an area where the main geological trend ran north-south.
“As early as 1903 it was recognised that this mineralisation may be different to the main Ballarat system, with reference to a pyrite lode and ‘gold shale’.
“The numerous reefs along both the Happy Thought line and at the Monmouth Mine were considered at the time to be strongly reminiscent of the Jubilee Mine project (mined 1887 – 1913).”
The O’Laughlin prospect covers largely undocumented minor hard rock historical workings.
Scotsburn comprises a “more consolidated” line of workings for more than a kilometre to the Locomotive extended mine and shafts north of Buninyong (southeast of Ballarat).
Enfield (or Monmouth prospect) covers the historical area of the Monmouth and Happy Thought mines which are also largely undocumented.