Platina Resources Limited (ASX: PGM) is set to commence a major exploration campaign at its recently acquired Beete and Brimstone gold properties in Western Australia.
As a priority, a soil sampling programme will begin at the Beete Project which lies 50km south-west of Norseman.
The Beete Project covers 134 sq. km within what is believed to be a possible extension of the Norseman greenstone belt, a prolific gold producing region. The area has not historically been systematically explored. Recently, a number of peer companies with projects to the south of Beete have reported very encouraging high-grade gold intersections and rare earth assays, highlighting the mineral prospectivity of the region.
Additionally, once permitting and logistics is finalised, Platina will commence a drilling programme at the Brimstone Project, which lies 40km north-east of Kalgoorlie in close proximity to the Penny Find gold deposit and 25km from Kanowna Belle gold mine.
Managing Director, Corey Nolan, said that Beete’s potential was very promising given its strategic location between the Norseman Mining Centre (Pantoro and Tulla Resources) and Aruma Resources Limited’s recently discovered Salmon Gums Project.
Beete is located on interpreted geophysical structures that we believe host gold mineralisation located north and south of the tenement. Aruma Resources has reported a number of very-high- grade gold intersections at its Salmon Gums project to the south, while the Norseman Mining Centre to the north has a resource totalling nearly 5 million ounces,” Mr Nolan said.
“Gold was first discovered at Beete in 1958 and very-high-grade mineralisation was mined during the late 1950’s intermittently until 1976, highlighting the potential of the tenement.”
Platina is close to finalising a cultural heritage agreement covering the northern extent of the tenement with the Ngadjus and has submitted a Program of Works (POW) application with the Department of Mines, Industry, Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) to commence an auger drilling program. However, the company has subsequently been informed by DMIRS that flora and fauna surveys and an associated management plan are required prior to drilling, due to the exploration licences’ location on the Western Woodlands nature reserve.
“A low-cost and low-impact soil orientation survey will give us a strong head start and help define target areas (including gold, nickel, lithium and rare earths) for follow up drilling when all the clearances are in place. The programme will take approximately 10 days to complete with the assay results expected in February,” Mr Nolan said.
At Brimstone, interpreted geological structures cover up to 10km of strike length of mineralisation on highly prospective greenstone rocks. Key drill targets include the Garibaldi prospect, which includes a historical drill intersection of 55m @ 2.07 g/t Au and the Jammie Dodger prospect, which includes a historical drill intersection of 22m @ 1.96g/t Au.
A POW application has been approved and heritage survey clearances have been obtained for M27/501 at Garibaldi. Platina is in discussions with the cultural heritage groups with a view to obtaining clearances for drilling on other prospects so it can commence a comprehensive multi- prospect drilling programme in early February.
