Further high-grade gold discovered at East Rompas

78 samples have been reported at East Rompas, collected from surface outcrops along a 700 m trend. Ten outcrop samples assayed greater than 0.1 g/t gold. The strike continuity of two high grade gold-bearing zones has been confirmed by recent sampling to exceed 700 m, within a mineralised trend over 1.2 km in strike.

 

Highlights from outcrop and mini-drill and diamond sawn samples include:

• 283.0 g/t gold in a 0.2 m channel sample;
• 42.2 g/t gold in a 0.7 m channel sample, and 
• 45.4 g/t gold in a minidrill grab sample.

In combination with samples reported on 11 October 2017 and 23 October 2017, 40 grab and channel samples range from 0.1 g/t gold to 2375 g/t gold, with an average grade of 161.7 g/t gold and a median of 1.1 g/t gold. Channel samples are considered representative of the in-situ mineralisation sampled and channel widths quoted approximate the true width of mineralisation. Grab samples are selective by nature and are unlikely to represent average grades on the property. 

Diamond drilling at East Rompas is ongoing, having completed 580 m of a 2000 m programme that is testing the core mineralised trend (forecast to finish by the end of January).

Michael Hudson, Chairman & CEO of Mawson Resources remarked: "East Rompas is an exciting new discovery by the Mawson team, with the strike length of the two semi-parallel mineralised zones now exceeding 700 m. These new results increase the continuity of the zones and also include the identification of a new low sulfide, high gold-tellurium-bismuth association. Drilling to test the East Rompas mineralised trend is now back underway after a break for the holidays and we look forward to first results from this exciting new discovery."

 

Geological mapping, sampling, geophysics and drill planning is now complete and diamond drilling, which commenced in mid-December 2017 is ongoing.

East Rompas is located approximately 500 m east of the 6-km-long Rompas high-grade vein system where drill results include 6 m @ 617 g/t in drill hole ROM0011. Gold mineralisation discovered in outcrop is fracture controlled and associated with strongly biotite-altered mafic rocks, believed hydrothermal in origin, and similar to undrilled prospects at the Rajapalot area to the east. Gold mineralisation has been discovered sporadically in two semi-parallel trends, perhaps as part of an en echelon array within a 700-m-long NNW-SSE oriented zone, where the width of the individual occurrences are at least 20 m. Outcrop is poor and forms less than 5% of the area. The northern mineralised zone is better exposed than the southern zone.

Geologic mapping and sampling, combined with interpretation of the ground geophysics (VLF-R and 25 m spaced ground magnetics) has allowed definition of sulfidic targets and a recognition that the likely near-surface strike extent of the mineralised zone is up to 1200 m long. Diamond drilling is focussing on disseminated and sulfidic strike extensive targets associated with the surface outcrops reported here. The biotite-rich altered rocks associated with much of the gold, are poorly exposed when alteration intensity increases requiring geophysical interpretation to infer their extent under the swampy and shallow till covered ground.

Bismuth, tellurium and gold are strongly correlated in a similar manner to the gold found in both the Rompas vein trend and the disseminated sulfidic mineralisation at Rajapalot. Although pyrrhotite is commonly associated with gold in surface outcrops, the relationship is not linear – some low-sulfide, but biotite-rich samples contain gold. Further diamond drilling in the current programme will help to delineate the extent of the gold-bearing biotite-rich zones. Bismuth contents range from 0.01 ppm (detection limit) to 106 ppm with a mean of 2.86 ppm, a median of 0.11 ppm from 78 samples; tellurium was above detection (0.05 ppm) in 65 samples with a maximum of 97.1 ppm, a mean of 3.92 ppm and a median of 0.11 ppm.

The area is fully permitted for diamond drilling and is located outside Natura 2000 areas, within the Männistö exploration permit (granted in 2017).

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/exploration-development/09012018/further-high-grade-gold-discovered-at-east-rompas-finland/