Augustus Minerals has defined at least two higher-grade gold shoots at its Music Well project in Western Australia’s prolific Leonora-Laverton gold district, with both remaining open along strike.
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both → define → strike
The interpretation comes from a combination of recent diamond and reverse circulation (RC) drilling, assays and soil sampling.
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interpretation → come → drilling
Augustus says its geological detective work has stitched together data from drilling and surface geochemistry to outline a western shoot defined by soil samples over 400 metres of strike and an eastern zone defined by pathfinder geochemistry over 300m.
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work → say → m.
The interpretation links together a string of solid, earlier RC drill hits, including 11m at 2.41 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 32m, 8m at 3.27g/t gold from 72m and 34m at 0.83g/t gold from 38m.
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interpretation → link → 38
Pathfinder elements in soil samples, including tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and tungsten, have helped trace the orientation of the mineralised structures.
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elements → include → structures
‘Pathfinder geochemistry indicates a similar strike for the strong intersection seen in an RC drillhole within the eastern shoot.’Augustus Minerals general manager exploration Andrew Ford
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geochemistry → indicate → shoot
A recent diamond drill hole put in by Augustus appears to have provided the final piece of the puzzle.
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hole → put → puzzle
While assays from the hole returned only lower-grade gold anomalism, including 6m at 0.31g/t gold from 79m, 5m at 0.43g/t gold from 106m and 12m at 0.22g/t gold from 117m, management believes the results are significant.
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results → return → m
According to Augustus, the core revealed tell-tale alteration from hematite to silica-sericite-pyrite-carbonate, which strengthened closer to the gold-bearing part of the system, suggesting the hole may have passed along the edge of a bigger mineralised zone.
uncertain
hole → accord → zone
Crucially, structural measurements from the diamond core indicate that the higher-grade quartz-pyrite (iron sulphide) veins dip steeply to the southeast, providing a clear target for follow-up drilling.
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veins → indicate → drilling
Armed with this new structural understanding, the company drilled a series of northwest-oriented RC holes to test for higher-density veining between the original drill holes.
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company → arm → holes
Assays from that program are pending and expected in mid to late October.
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Assays → pende → October
In addition to the two defined shoots, the company has its eye on a third target, a 200-metre-long zone of anomalous rock chip and soil pathfinder results.
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company → define → results
With rock chips grading up to 1.8g/t gold, the anomalism coincides with a major fault in the east of the Clifton East prospect.
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anomalism → grade → prospect
The company says this area has not yet been drill tested.
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area → say → ?
Augustus Minerals general manager exploration Andrew Ford said: “Integration of surface geochemistry, RC and Diamond drilling data has outlined two higher-grade shoots within the broader alteration system that are open to the north-northeast.”
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that → say → northeast
The company’s Music Well project covers a commanding 1242 square kilometres of exploration tenure just 35km north of Leonora, a town that sits at the heart of a storied gold belt with a total endowment of more than 28 million ounces.
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that → cover → ounces
Augustus’ ground abuts tenements held by regional giants Northern Star Resources and Genesis Minerals, with major gold projects in the neighbourhood including Darlot, King of the Hills and Thunderbox.
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ground → abut → Hills
The definition of coherent mineralised shoots comes at a time when the region is a hive of corporate activity.
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region → come → activity
The Leonora–Laverton gold district is in the middle of a broader WA gold consolidation wave, with majors on the hunt for new ounces to feed their processing hubs.
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majors → feed → hubs
That backdrop helps explain why fresh exploration success in the area is attracting attention, with regional gold assets and land positions in the district increasingly in focus.
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assets → help → focus
Recent activity includes the eye-watering $12.6 billion Genesis-Vault merger in July and Brightstar Resources’ September acquisition of five critical exploration licences from Panther Metals immediately adjacent to its developing Laverton processing hub.
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activity → include → hub
Of late, Genesis has been hoovering up gold ounces across Leonora and Laverton, building a formidable feed pipeline around its mills.
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Genesis → hoover → mills
It picked up Focus Minerals’ Laverton project to feed its restarted three-million-tonne-per-annum plant and splashed $639 million on Magnetic Resources to get exposure to the 2.24-million-ounce Lady Julie deposit in 2026.
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It → pick → 2026
That buying spree followed a $600 million acquisition of St Barbara’s Leonora assets, including the Gwalia mine and mill, in 2023.
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spree → follow → 2023
With assays from its latest targeted RC drill campaign due shortly and drilling operations set to kick off once wet ground conditions improve, Augustus looks set to generate plenty of newsflow.
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Augustus → set → newsflow
In a part of the world where big miners are looking for their next meal, defining coherent, higher-grade gold shoots is one way for a junior to get a seat at the table.
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junior → look → table
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting?
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company → list → something
The Aporia
