Western Gold Exploration Ltd reported “strong depth and near-surface potential” from a 779-line km helicopter survey at the Lorne porphyry district in Argyll, Scotland.
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Magnetotelluric (MT) geophysics over the Lagalochan and Ardlochan prospects also identified “other possible porphyry-related centres” across the company’s Crown Mines Royal licence.
The Canadian company said it was the first time that world-class MT technology, with depth penetration of up to 1.5km, had been used in the UK.
At Lagalochan existing drilling of 56 holes for 11,090m shows mineralisation “following a conductivity-resistivity anomaly” and extends “significantly” along a northwest-trending zone.
WGE added that the findings suggested that porphyry mineralisation was more widespread than previously tested.
Conductivity also increases below the depth of existing drilling, “potentially” indicating porphyry sulphide mineralisation “strengthening at greater depths”.
The company said that its 2023-2024 drilling campaign had intersected a sulphidic breccia which appeared to be “highly conductive” from the survey’s findings.
This indicated a second breccia/skarn target type parallel to the main porphyry zone.
Results at Ardlochan identified a “classic porphyry” ring structure of a “conductive ring centred on a resistive core”, with a magnetic-high overlapping central sections of the ring structure.
The survey also found a new target zone several kilometres northwest of Lagalochan.
“We are excited by the results which clearly demonstrate an association between known porphyry mineralisation and geophysical anomalies, confirming scope to extend to depth and along strike,” added chairman Harry Dobson.
“The survey indicates a developing porphyry district with numerous untested anomalies”.