Golden Birch Resources provides exploration update

Summary and highlights

• Newly acquired CS 1000 drill rig mobilised on 7 October 2020 from Burnie Port, Tasmania, has arrived in Port Moresby, PNG 6 November 2020.
• After clearing customs, the rig will be transported to a supply depot at Moreguina village located a short distance by helicopter to the project.
• Anticipated drill programme to begin by mid-December 2020.
• Collaboration with local timber company that holds the timber permits in the region to coordinate logistics for access road construction. Completion of access road now estimated early 2021.
• Work has begun on the upgrade of the Waki exploration camp using workers from nearby villages.
• Discovery of copper and gold mineralisation in outcrop and float at the Everi area from reconnaissance surveys carried out in mid 2019 and June 2020.
• Compilation and review of historic exploration carried out by Papuan Precious Metals Ltd (PPM) completed in August 2020.
• Everi discovery extends historic Urua Prospect further south.
• Rock samples from Everi assayed up to 5.13% copper (Cu) from sample #109313 and 8.45 g/t gold (Au) from sample #109132 in separate outcrop and float samples respectively.

Everi and Urua Prospects

The Everi area of interest is located immediately south of the Urua Prospect. In May 2019, reconnaissance mapping recognised altered and mineralised rock float in narrow creeks north of the Adau River. This led to the discovery of outcropping copper and gold mineralisation 400 m upstream in the Everi Creek and north of the Adau River. The initial discovery outcrop at Everi Creek is a brecciated gossan showing strong sericite-silica alteration, with disseminated pyrite, chalcopyrite and quartz-chalcopyrite-pyrite veins (samples #109093 - #109097). A total of 29 rock samples were collected in June and July 2019. An additional 13 rock samples were collected from outcrop and float in early June 2020.

The Everi and Urua Prospects (Everi-Urua) have become a high priority prospect for the company due to its strategic location near the intersection of key structural features. These features consist of the main northwest-southeast trending Keveri Fault and northeast trending Urua Creek Fault. Petrological investigation of selective rock samples at Everi-Urua reveals the presence of intrusive rocks at Urua which supports the interpretation for a mineralised intrusive at depth.

The Everi-Urua Prospect has several characteristics that are representative of Tier 1 Cu-Au deposits in PNG. Further exploration is required at Everi-Urua to determine the next steps.

Work completed at Everi-Urua Prospect

In April – August 2020, a detailed compilation and review of the historic exploration data (including soil geochemistry, trench mapping, drill hole data, IP survey data, and airborne magnetic data and images) completed by PPM from 2008 to 2012, was undertaken by Golden Birch geologists. Results of this review suggests that the geology of Urua consists of zones of hydrothermal brecciation and hydrofracturing of the host mafic and/or ultramafic wall rocks which have undergone widespread argillic alteration and associated silicification highlighting potential for a mineralised intrusive at depth.

In May-June 2020, a reconnaissance trip was undertaken by Golden Birch geologists to confirm alteration and mineralisation discovered and reported by PPM in 2010-2012. This work confirmed that the Urua area is dominantly composed of gossanous, hydrothermal breccias and silicified mafic-ultramafic rocks with quartz-sulphide veining and stockwork in places. Mineralisation is fracture and vein-controlled filled with quartz and pyrite. Rock samples collected for petrological analysis reveals two types of intrusive rocks at Urua. This validates the preliminary interpretation of a potential intrusive at depth and likely causative to the brecciation, hydrofracturing and widespread hydrothermal alteration of the host mafic and/or ultramafic rocks.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/exploration-development/11112020/golden-birch-resources-provides-exploration-update/