HIGHLIGHTS:
- ASD-1 has been drilled to a depth of 1,348.5 metres.
- The diorite-granodiorite was entered at a depth 644.4 metres continued to the end of hole. This change in geology from Hardey Formation at such a shallow depth was unexpected.
- Alteration minerals, bleaching and a number of quartz and pegmatitic veins have been observed. Logging of the core continues. Further analysis of the Felsic Intrusive (diorite-granodiorite) will be ongoing with work by GSWA and CSIRO.
- The interpreted basin continuously deepening to the south of the Munni Munni gabbro has been found to be incorrect (Figure 1). It is possible that the Fortescue Basin topography (when sediments were emplaced) is undulating and therefore is fertile for sites and areas where mafic gold rich conglomerates can form.
- As such a second drill hole (ASD-2) will shortly commence to further understand the geology and the nature of the contacts between sedimentary rocks and felsic intrusions or basement geology.
- ASD-2 is located 3.6 km to the west of ASD-1 (Figure 3) and will be drilled by DDH-1 Drilling Pty Ltd.
ASD-1 was planned for a vertical depth of +3,300m and designed to test the many rock sequences in the Pilbara Basin from surface and deep into the basement’s geology. These deeper rock sequences were interpreted or inferred to exist, based on very sparse data. This surface and shallow data does not explain observed surface mineralisation of diamonds, cobalt, zinc, lead and gold.
What Artemis has defined at this early stage is valuable as it shows the basement (hard rock geology) is undulating and at this location dips to the north from ASD-1. The sediments (now rock) have filled in the topography that existed, which would have been hills and valleys. This means there are fertile sites and areas where mafic gold rich conglomerates can form, like between ASD-1 and Munni Munni (Figure 1).
A new drill hole (ASD-02), to be drilled by DDH-1 Pty Ltd with their larger 5000 diamond core dill rig, will commence shortly. A drill site 3.6 km to the west of ASD-1 has been selected which will initially test to see if the dioritegranodiorite exists in this location and if not, drill to basement.
Artemis continues to review work at Munni Munni with a view to using diamond drill holes to look for additional shallow mafic gold rich conglomerates.
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