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Andrew Todd
Golden Dragon Mining has unearthed a substantial 2.2-kilometre-long gold-in-soil anomaly from recent auger drilling at its Stella Range project outside Laverton in Western Australia.
The untested discovery sits in a well-endowed gold neighbourhood, 120km southeast of the prolific Laverton goldfield and just 12km along strike from Brightstar Resources’ Lord Byron deposit, which hosts 5.39 million tonnes grading 1.5 grams per tonne (g/t) for 267,000 ounces of gold.
The company says the coherent, northwest-trending anomaly is also supported by key pathfinder elements, particularly copper and tellurium. The geology adds further weight to the discovery, with Stella Range’s main gold anomaly sitting within a magnetic low that mirrors the setting at Lord Byron. The anomaly is also interpreted to lie on the same northwest-trending magnetic corridor as the deposit, raising the prospect of a similar gold-bearing system lurking beneath the surface.
The ground was previously explored by the likes of BHP for large komatiite-style nickel sulphide deposits, with Golden Dragon taking a different tack after reviewing the historical work through a gold-tinted lens.
‘These results are an exciting development for the Company and highlight the significant exploration potential of our Stella Range project.’
Golden Dragon Mining managing director Simon Buswell-Smith
Crucially, this extensive 2.2km gold anomaly has never seen the drill bit. Management says the findings could herald a new discovery with proper testing at depth, describing it as a substantial coincident anomaly in a largely underexplored part of the Eastern Goldfields.
Golden Dragon Mining managing director Simon Buswell-Smith said: “These results are an exciting development for the Company and highlight the significant exploration potential of our Stella Range gold project. The identification of a coherent gold anomaly extending over 2.2 kilometres of strike, supported by associated copper and tellurium pathfinder elements, provides us with a compelling target for further exploration.”
While the Stella Range anomaly is shaping up to be a key discovery opportunity, Golden Dragon remains active and focused at its flagship Cue gold project in the burgeoning Murchison province.
The company is awaiting results from a recent 2833-metre reverse circulation drilling program at its Behring Bore and Coodardy prospects, targeting extensions to previously identified high-grade mineralisation.
Previous campaigns at Cue delivered impressive results, including a four-metre hit at a solid 17.6g/t gold and another four-metre intercept grading a standout 21.37g/t gold.
With a fresh geological perspective breathing new life into old ground, Golden Dragon has defined a compelling, kilometre-scale gold target that seems to be begging for a drill rig.
The company now plans to conduct infill and extensional auger sampling to refine its drill targets for a maiden drilling campaign. If the upcoming drill campaign confirms what the soils suggest, this could be the start of a significant new chapter for Stella Range.
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