PLC Resources has taken to the skies, metaphorically speaking, to launch a two-stage satellite geo-spectral survey across its Abbotts gold project in Western Australia’s Murchison region, to pinpoint alteration zones and structures, sharpening the gold target discovery process.
The company says its survey will cover all four of its Abbotts tenements spanning 205 square kilometres and will sift through PLC’s ground for large mineral alteration and undetected structures that can be tell-tale signs of orogenic gold mineralisation.
The first stage involves a regional screening using hyperspectral EnMAP imagery by remote-sensing specialists Geo Spectra. Multispectral data will then map the alteration geological structures in greater detail across the entire project and over an additional 300 square kilometres of surrounding ground.
The second, higher-resolution stage will allow Geo Spectra to zoom in on priority areas with imagery as sharp as 31 centimetres, mapping telltale iron oxides, clays and sulphates to refine targets for a boots-on-the-ground follow-up.
The satellite survey builds on PLC’s recent high-resolution airborne magnetic survey, which revealed a large-scale fold structure considered highly prospective for gold deposition. Management says the structure is a crustal-level feature that extends for more than 14km of strike and, importantly, continues south into ground held by recent WA discovery dynamo New Murchison Gold.
New Murchison has been making waves in the region, successfully trucking its high-grade gold discoveries to nearby toll-treating facilities, providing a compelling real-world example of the Abbotts greenstone’s unloved potential.
This survey gives us a project-wide view of Abbotts that we can’t get from the ground alone. Hyperspectral and high-resolution satellite data can help map alteration minerals and fine-scale structures that may be associated with gold mineralisation, across all four of our tenements at once.
The company’s move comes as exploration activity continues to ramp up across the white-hot Murchison, with nearby explorers committing to significant exploration programs in hopes of becoming the next New Murchison Gold story - recently capped at $950 million.
King River Resources recently launched a massive 11,000-metre drilling campaign at its Mindoolah gold project, while new players such as Parbo Resources, Golden Dragon and Reach Resources have all expanded their footprint in the region.
The company recently completed a follow-up reverse circulation drilling program at its Rochefort gold prospect within Abbotts, with assay results currently pending. Geological logging from that campaign confirmed the target host rock had been intersected, with multiple accounts of potential gold-bearing sulphide alterations. The real test, however, will come when the assays land, potentially revealing a virgin gold discovery.
PLC says, beyond drilling a Rochefort, it expects a prioritised target map from the new satellite survey within four to six weeks. The results will be integrated with recent magnetic survey data to rank targets for follow-up field exploration and aircore drilling.
With New Murchison recently stacking up multiple high-grade discoveries next door along what appears to be a highly prospective, unloved gold belt, the company has plenty of reason to feel ambitious about its unfolding gold story at Abbotts. Its high-tech targeting could fast-track the hunt for a discovery of its own, with the coming months shaping up as a potentially pivotal period for the Perth-based explorer.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@wanews.com.au