Zenith Minerals’ bid to connect the dots between two gold deposits at its Consolidated Dulcie project in Western Australia is gaining some serious momentum, with the drill bit jagging a solid six-metre hit grading 4.14 grams per tonne (g/t) gold. The intercept included a higher-grade three-metre core going an eye-catching 7.75g/t gold.
Impressively, the company says all 14 holes assayed at its Dulcie Central target have now intersected gold mineralisation, bolstering its interpretation of a continuous gold system.
The results come from a recently completed 34-hole reverse circulation drilling campaign across the broader project, with assays for 15 more holes now in hand. Zenith’s program is designed to test the roughly 600m strike gap between its existing Dulcie North and more southerly Dulcie deposits.
Other results from the Dulcie Central corridor include a shallow, 10-metre intercept at 0.84g/t gold from just 48m, with another hole producing a three-metre strike running 1.59g/t gold from a similar depth. A third hole returned 2m at 1.57g/t gold from 97m and 3m grading 1.14g/t gold from 134m, hinting at the prospect of gold continuity at depth.
Notably, drilling at Zenith’s nearby Scott’s Grey prospect, one kilometre south of Dulcie Central also assayed solid numbers, with one hole hitting 4m at 3.05g/t gold from 71m, including a richer one-metre section at a hefty 7.17g/t. Further south again, at Dulcie South, a one-metre intercept came in at 3.86g/t gold from 128m.
The Consolidated Dulcie project already hosts a significant JORC-compliant inferred mineral resource of 21.3 million tonnes grading 1g/t gold for 675,000 ounces across a 6-kilometre mineralised corridor. The grounds sit within the revered Southern Cross–Forrestania gold belt and benefit from granted mining leases and proximity to regional processing infrastructure at Marvel Loch and Edna May, placing it in prime real estate.
Every Dulcie Central hole assayed so far has intersected gold, with one hole returning the strongest intersection of the programme to date. These results continue to support the interpretation that gold mineralisation extends across the approximately 600-metre gap between Dulcie North and Dulcie.
While the company’s current program is focused on growing the resource, historical hits at the broader project have delivered some stunners such as 32m at 9.4g/t gold and 3m at an eye-watering 70g/t gold, highlighting the system’s high-grade pedigree.
Elsewhere, Zenith has a foothold on the promising Red Mountain gold project in Queensland, where previous drilling included a whopping 139.7m at 1.05g/t gold from 225m, which featured a richer 2-metre core assaying 21.03g/t gold within a broader 14.2m section grading 4.62g/t gold. Drilling has since traced gold mineralisation beyond 700m vertical depth, reinforcing the continuity of a broad intrusion-related gold system.
The company also holds a 25 per cent free-carried interest at the emerging Earaheedy zinc project north-east of Wiluna in WA, alongside an indirect 26 per cent stake in the historic Cowarra gold project south of Canberra in New South Wales. Rounding out the portfolio, its Split Rocks lithium project in WA showcases an inferred JORC resource of 11.9Mt grading 0.72 per cent lithium oxide.
With assays for 24 of the 34 holes back from the lab, attention is likely to turn to the final 10 holes, also all drilled within the promising 600-metre Dulcie Central corridor.
The company expects a batch of results in late October, completing the final piece of the puzzle needed to assess a potential maiden mineral resource for the target area. A positive outcome could see Zenith stitch together the Dulcie North and Dulcie deposits into one much bigger, continuous orebody.
With a 100 per cent hit rate so far in the critical gap zone and a history of high-grade hits in the area, the market will likely be keenly awaiting that final newsflow, which could potentially set the stage for Zenith to clock a significant resource upgrade at the already well-endowed project.
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