Exploration Update - Revised
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
16 JANUARY 2024
EXPLORATION UPDATE – THE HUNT FOR THE NEXT GREAT FINGALL
Westgold Resources Limited (ASX: WGX / OTCQX: WGXRF – Westgold or the Company) is pleased to provide
an update on planned exploration activities across the Fingall Dolerite near Cue in Western Australia.
HIGHLIGHTS
Recently completed gravity geophysical survey has generated five new high priority drill targets along
the Fingall Dolerite – the host to the iconic Great Fingall and Golden Crown mines, which collectively
have historically produced >1.6Moz Au, plus several other shallow mined deposits.
These new targets, previously unknown and invisible in other geophysical datasets, are lithostructural
analogues to the faults controlling mineralisation at Great Fingall and Golden Crown.
Extensive exploration will commence in H2, FY24 – testing the new blind targets and known prospects
such as Sovereign (located between the Fingall and Golden Crown mines).
Figure 1 - Fingall Dolerite - Plan and long section showing mines, prospects and depth of drilling.
“Drilling has successfully extended the mine lives of our key assets during 2023 and allows us to now take a
more strategic view of our organic project pipeline,” said Westgold Managing Director Wayne Bramwell.
“The Fingall Dolerite holds many shallow mines and lacks deep drilling across its 11km strike. With newly
acquired data sets yielding blind targets across this fertile belt, our Exploration teams are now prioritising these
targets to test during H2, FY24 to find the next Great Fingall.”
Westgold Resources Limited (ASX: WGX | OTCQX: WGXRF)
ACN 009 260 306
Level 6, 200 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000
+61 8 9462 3400
perth.reception@westgold.com.au
www.westgold.com.au
ASX: WGX
DAY DAWN NEAR CUE – ANOTHER GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
Westgold’s Great Fingall and Golden Crown mines fall within the Day Dawn Mining Centre (Day Dawn), which
is 5km southwest of the town of Cue and 28km west of the Company’s 1.4Mtpa Tuckabianna processing hub
(Figure 2).
Figure 2 – Westgold’s extensive Murchison assets extending from Cue to Meekatharra.
Day Dawn hosts a total known gold endowment of >2.2Moz with >90% of the gold hosted in the Fingall Dolerite
(an ~11km long by ~1km wide differentiated dolerite sill intrusion within a northwest dipping mafic volcano
sedimentary package) (Figure 1).
Mineralisation within the Fingall Dolerite is typically quartz vein reef style with altered and mineralised
sulphidic margins. Mineralised widths can range from <1m to more than 10m with coarse gold not uncommon.
The Great Fingall and Golden Crown Reef positions are controlled by a series of northerly trending faults and
shears that refract/rotate to the northwest as they traverse through the Fingall Dolerite.
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While these structures are the primary control to gold mineralisation, the secondary control is the interaction
with the more brittle portions of the Fingall Dolerite, which are typically found towards the centre of the sill.
Critically, not all currently known reefs within the Fingall Dolerite outcrop at surface, and some that do only
return modest surface gold assays. An example of this important exploration consideration is that the Golden
Crown Reef outcropped as only a weak quartz vein system with ore grade mineralisation only being intersected
in drilling ~120m below surface (Figure 3).
Sovereign
Figure 3 - Oblique section of Great Fingall and Golden Crown mines, resources and planned mining.
THE HUNT FOR THE NEXT GREAT FINGALL
Due to its high gold endowment and the presence of the iconic 1.2Moz Great Fingall mine, the Day Dawn area
has been subjected to various exploration programs by multiple companies including Westgold. While some
success has been achieved and satellite discoveries such as Yellow Taxi and Try Again mined, most of this work
has involved shallow drill testing.
The lack of deep drilling presents a significant exploration opportunity for Westgold (refer Figure 1)
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New high priority gravity targets
During late 2023, Westgold completed a high-resolution gravity geophysical survey across the entire Day Dawn
area with an additional 3,900 data points collected to expand the previously completed trial survey. The trial
survey, whilst restricted in coverage and limited by mining infrastructure, highlighted the faults that control
mineralisation at Great Fingall and Golden Crown can be mapped in the gravity data with distinctive visible
steps/offsets at the contacts between the Fingall Dolerite and the Hangingwall and Footwall Basalts (Figure 4).
588000mE
584000mE
580000mE
LEGEND
>1Moz gold mine
>100Koz gold mine
Gold occurrence
6964000mN
Controlling faults
Great Fingall
Detail Area 1
Golden Crown
3210
Yellow Taxi
6960000mN
N
Detail Area 2
2km
GREAT FINGALL – DAY DAWN
1VD GRAVITY & GOLD OCCURRENCES
Figure 4 – First Vertical Derivative gravity image showing known gold occurrences and interpreted controlling structures. Note
the distinct contrast between the Hanging Wall (HW) Basalt and the Fingall Dolerite, and the fault-controlled steps/offsets.
These structures have not been mapped in previous aeromagnetic data and thus the gravity survey has
generated a set of five new targets analogous to Great Fingall and Golden Crown (Figure 5).
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DRILL
TARGET
Distinctive Offsets In
HW Basalt Contact
Along Controlling Faults
6963000mN
Great Fingall
6962000mN
Golden Crown
Try Again
6961000mN
3210
DRILL
TARGET
N
500m
GREAT FINGALL – DAY DAWN
1VD GRAVITY DETAIL AREA 1
N
DRILL
TARGET
1km
Yellow Taxi
6960000mN
DRILL
TARGET
6958000mN
GREAT FINGALL – DAY DAWN
1VD GRAVITY DETAIL AREA 2
584000mE
582000mE
DRILL
TARGET
Figure 5 – Detailed sub-area gravity images highlighting interpreted Great Fingall / Golden Crown analogous structures and
2024 drill targets.
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Looking Forward
Five (5) newly defined gravity targets
The new targets both northeast and southwest of Great Fingall, represent high priority exploration targets.
While in some instances historic gold prospects are known within the target areas, these have only been
drill tested at shallow depths. Based on the new data, deeper drilling is warranted targeting a Golden
Crown scenario of effectively blind mineralisation.
Fingall Flats, Sovereign and other Fingall – Crown linking structures
In addition to the primary steeply dipping reef, the Fingall mineralised system also includes adjoining flat
lying reefs (Fingall Flats) as well as suspected mineralised linking structures with Golden Crown, such as
the Sovereign Reef which Westgold discovered in 2022 (see Figure 3).
The decline development at Great Fingall has progressed to such a stage that Westgold expects to
commence underground drill testing of both Fingall Flats and Sovereign style linking structures in Q3
FY24.
Deeper drilling of known prospects
In addition to the new gravity targets, the Company is planning to test a series of known prospect areas
(Figure 2) at greater depths. These targets are based on Golden Crown analogies where significant highgrade deposits may have limited surface expression.
Targets selected include Yellow Taxi, 3210, Trenton, Post Office and Bonnie Scotland (Figure 1).
Conclusion
With a gold endowment of >2.2Moz, the Day Dawn region represents a material opportunity for Westgold.
The recent decision to commence the decline development into the substantial Mineral Resources at Great
Fingall and Golden Crown 1, demonstrates Westgold’s commitment to this highly prospective region.
In parallel, the Company is committed to further exploration and looks forward to reporting results as the Hunt
for the Next Great Fingall builds momentum during 2024.
ENDS
ANNOUNCEMENT IS AUTHORISED FOR RELEASE TO THE ASX BY THE BOARD.
MEDIA AND INVESTOR RELATIONS ENQUIRIES
INVESTOR RELATIONS
Kasun Liyanaarachchi| Investor Relations Manager
Investor.Relations@westgold.com.au
+61 458 564 483
1
MEDIA
Peter Knight | Communications Manager
Peter.Knight@westgold.com.au
+61 459 980 481
See ASX released titled “Great Fingall Approved for Development” dated 9 August 2023
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COMPETENT PERSON STATEMENTS
EXPLORATION RESULTS AND MINERAL RESOURCES ESTIMATES
The information in this report that relates to Exploration results is compiled by Westgold technical employees and contractors
under the supervision of Mr. Simon Rigby B.Sc. (Hons), who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Mr Rigby
is a full-time employee of the company and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the styles of mineralisation and
types of deposit under consideration and to the activities which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined
in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves.
Mr Rigby consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it
appears. Mr Rigby is eligible to participate in short- and long-term incentive plans of the company.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this report relate to the future, including forward looking statements relating to Westgold’s financial
position and strategy. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and
other important factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Westgold to be materially
different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Actual events or results
may differ materially from the events or results expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement and deviations are
both normal and to be expected. Other than required by law, neither Westgold, their officers nor any other person gives any
representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the events expressed or implied in any forward-looking
statements will actually occur.
You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on those statements.
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SECTION 1: SAMPLING TECHNIQUES AND DATA
APPENDIX A – JORC TABLES
(Criteria in the Section apply to all succeeding sections)
Criteria
Sampling
techniques
JORC Code explanation
• Nature and quality of sampling (e.g. cut channels, random chips, or specific
specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the
minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or
handheld XRF instruments, etc.). These examples should not be taken as
limiting the broad meaning of sampling.
• Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the
appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used.
• Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the
Commentary
• The reported survey consisted of 3,900 gravity stations in a regular grid
comprising mostly 50m station spacings on lines 100m apart with a
minor amount of 100m station spacings on 100m lines in the southeast
of the Fingall dolerite within the Footwall Basalt.
• Gravity measurements were made using a Scintrex CG6 instrument.
• Readings of 40 seconds were made at stations.
• Base station readings were taken at the beginning and end of each day.
.
Public Report.
• In cases where ‘industry standard’ work has been done this would be
relatively simple (e.g. ‘reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m
samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire
assay’). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where
there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual
commodities or mineralisation types (e.g. submarine nodules) may warrant
disclosure of detailed information.
Drilling
techniques
• Drill type (e.g. core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast,
• Not applicable as no drilling reported
Drill sample
recovery
• Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and
• Not applicable as no drilling reported
auger, Bangka, sonic, etc.) and details (e.g. core diameter, triple or standard
tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core
is oriented and if so, by what method, etc.).
results assessed.
• Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative
nature of the samples.
• Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and
whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of
fine/coarse material.
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Criteria
JORC Code explanation
Commentary
Logging
• Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically
• Not applicable
logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource
estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies.
• Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean,
channel, etc.) photography.
• The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged
Sub-sampling
techniques
and sample
preparation
• If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken.
• If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc. and whether
• Not applicable
sampled wet or dry.
• For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample
preparation technique.
• Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise
representivity of samples.
• Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in situ
material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/secondhalf sampling.
• Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being
sampled.
Quality of
assay data and
laboratory
tests
• The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory
procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total.
• For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc., the
parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and
model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc.
• Gravity measurements were made using a Scintrex CG6 instrument.
• 0.1milligal precision
• 40 second reading times
• Nature of quality control procedures adopted (e.g. standards, blanks,
duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of
accuracy (i.e. lack of bias) and precision have been established.
Verification of
sampling and
assaying
• The verification of significant intersections by either independent or
alternative company personnel.
• Not applicable
• The use of twinned holes.
• Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification,
data storage (physical and electronic) protocols.
• Discuss any adjustment to assay data.
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Criteria
JORC Code explanation
Commentary
Location of
data points
• Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-
• Geodetic grade GPS system
hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral
Resource estimation.
• Specification of the grid system used.
• Quality and adequacy of topographic control.
Data spacing
and
distribution
• Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results.
• Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the
degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral
Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications
applied.
• Majority of data was collected on 50m spacings on 100m spaced lines
with some data in the Footwall Basalt collected on 100m x 100m station
spacings.
• Whether sample compositing has been applied.
Orientation of
data in
relation to
geological
structure
• Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible
Sample
security
Audits or
reviews
• The measures taken to ensure sample security.
• Not applicable
• The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data.
• No external reviews have been conducted at this point.
structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit
type.
• Data was collected on east-west lines to best intersect the Fingall
Dolerite and Hangingwall and Footwall Basalts.
• If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key
mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this
should be assessed and reported if material.
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SECTION 2: REPORTING OF EXPLORATION RESULTS
(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.)
Criteria
JORC Code explanation
Commentary
Mineral
tenement and
land tenure
status
• Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including
• The gravity survey was completed over granted Mining Leases held 100% by
• The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any
• There are no impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area.
Exploration
done by other
parties
• Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties.
• Exploration and mining of deposits along the Great Fingall dolerite has
Geology
• Deposit type, geological setting and style of mineralisation.
• In simple terms, the Great Fingall mine is situated within a rigid dolerite unit
agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures,
partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites,
wilderness or national park and environmental settings.
known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area.
Big Bell Gold Operations Pty Ltd which is a 100% owned subsidiary of
Westgold Resources. These included M21/7, M21/10, M21/14, M21/44,
M21/96, M21/105, M21.123, M21/141 & M21/174.
occurred for over a century. Significant recent work has been conducted by
several companies:
1973 - 1990 ACM.
1990 - 1999 Normandy (Poseidon).
2000 - 2001 New Hampton Goldfields.
2001 - 2009 Harmony Gold Australia.
2009 - 2010 Aragon Resources.
2010 - Present Westgold Resources Limited.
bounded by less competent basalts. Dilation of refracted regional fault
structures within the dolerite has created sites favourable for quartz
accumulation and gold mineralisation.
Within the mine area Great Fingall Reef strikes NW, within the Great Fingall
Dolerite, and dips 60-65°SW, flattening to 45°SW below approximately
700m depth. The reef varies in width up to thirteen metres, averaging two
to three metres in thickness. It consists dominantly of bluish quartz, with
only minor white quartz, and sulphides (mainly pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena,
arsenopyrite, sphalerite and bornite). Fresh sulphides occur only below the
base of oxidation (approximately 30m vertical depth below surface). Thin
footwall reefs, less than one metre thick, have been intersected by deep
diamond drilling, up to 60m into the footwall of the main reef.
The second major style of mineralisation present at Great Fingall is
stockwork veining. The Great Fingall stockwork deposit is the third largest
gold deposit discovered and mined to date within the district (after Great
Fingall underground and Golden Crown underground).
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Criteria
JORC Code explanation
Commentary
• The stockwork deposit, comprises of “Flat” sheets, consisting of silicified
stockwork zones of quartz veins / veinlets within unit AGF3 of the GFD.
These irregular sheets, varying in thickness from one to twenty five metres,
have been interpreted to strike NW and dip shallowly at southwest.
Individual veinlets range in thickness up to sixty centimetres, averaging
approximately three centimetres, and occur in two mains sets (dipping
15°SW and 12°S). The stockwork zones display strong silicification and
carbonate-sericite alteration and contain approximately 3% sulphides,
mainly pyrite, pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite. These zones are closely related
and sub-parallel to a set of thin (0.2-2.0m) low-angle thrusts, which dip
30°WSW, and are themselves partly quartz-filled.
Drill hole
Information
• A summary of all information material to the understanding of the
• Not applicable.
Data
aggregation
methods
• In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum
• Not applicable
exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all
Material drill holes:
o easting and northing of the drill hole collar
o elevation or RL (Reduced Level - elevation above sea level in metres) of
the drill hole collar
o dip and azimuth of the hole
o down hole length and interception depth
o hole length.
• If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information
is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of
the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case.
and/or minimum grade truncations (e.g. cutting of high grades) and cut-off
grades are usually Material and should be stated.
• Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high grade results
and longer lengths of low grade results, the procedure used for such
aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such
aggregations should be shown in detail.
• The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be
clearly stated.
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Criteria
JORC Code explanation
Commentary
Relationship
between
mineralisation
widths and
intercept
lengths
• These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration
• A description of the geophysical response to the structures interpreted to
Diagrams
• Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts
• This information is included in the body of the report.
Balanced
reporting
• Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable,
• All information has been reported.
Other
substantive
exploration
data
• Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported
• NA
Further work
• The nature and scale of planned further work (e.g. tests for lateral
• Future work will focus on drill testing the developed targets
Results.
be controlling mineralisation is included in the body of the report.
• If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is
known, its nature should be reported.
• If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should
be a clear statement to this effect (e.g. ‘down hole length, true width not
known’).
should be included for any significant discovery being reported These should
include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and
appropriate sectional views.
representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should
be practiced to avoid misleading reporting of Exploration Results.
including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey
results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples - size and method of
treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater,
geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or
contaminating substances.
extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling).
• Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the
main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this
information is not commercially sensitive.
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