Page 29 - gmj147-Apr-Jun-mag-web-neat

Opening the gates to Gidgee

by Michael Washbourne is actually higher in the stratigraphy but still part of the same
overall package. Because we now understood this a whole lot
better, we went back and put some holes in and started to show
rimming with confidence after making three shallow
that there was really good continuity there.
Bdiscoveries and delivering an 87% uplift in resources last
year, Gateway Mining Ltd plans to be every bit as aggressive with “It’s really surprised us how many shallow discoveries seem to
the drill bit at its Gidgee gold project in 2022. be out there.”
Gateway recently launched into a new 22,000m drilling Gateway has also been buoyed by the 2.5km long discovery at
programme which will predominantly comprise aircore work to Kashmir which appears to be a continuation of the 204,000oz
expand the Julias discovery and adjacent Flametree target. This Howards deposit being developed by Horizon Gold Ltd.
will immediately be followed by RC drilling to test along strike from Drilling is planned for Q2 2022 to extend the strike length of the
significant results at Julias such as 11m @ 2.6 g/t gold from 24m, Kashmir discovery, along with the first RC holes for the Monarch
10m @ 3 g/t from 38m, 12m @ 2.4 g/t from 60m, 9m @ 3.5 g/t target which, despite recent rock chips at surface returning up to
from 67m and 9m @ 3.4 g/t from 55m. 18.7 g/t, has almost no previous exploration history.
Having also comfortably pocketed $6 million from a heavily
supported placement late last year, despite flailing market
sentiment for junior gold stocks, the company appears well
positioned to achieve its aim of drilling more than 60,000m into
Gidgee this year.
Gateway managing director Mark Cossom said the confidence
his company had gained from making the three discoveries at
Julias, Kashmir and Monarch – all within a 5km radius of the
existing Montague-Boulder resource – was underpinning its
aggressive approach towards exploration at Gidgee, about
800km north-east of Perth.
“We took a great deal of confidence from knowing that some of
the ideas we had were proving to be right,” Cossom told GMJ.
“Whenever we go and critique the historical exploration, we can
see the vast majority of it hasn’t been effective so there’s some
really straightforward exploration be done here. Within that 5km
radius around Montague-Boulder, we can see plenty of targets,
we just need to put some drill holes into it and that’s what we’re
going to be doing.
“We’re not going to sit back on our laurels, we can see where the
opportunities are and we’re going to try and realise them.”
Capping a memorable year for Gateway was an increased
Gateway has started a new aircore and RC campaign at Gidgee
resource of 8.165mt @ 1.7 g/t gold for 449,000oz, including
where it plans to drill more than 60,000m this year
a high-grade indicated component of 743,000t @ 3.4 g/t for
81,000oz and maiden estimates for Evermore (1.32mt @ 1.6 g/t
for 67,000oz) and Achilles North/Airport (2.07mt @ 1.5 g/t). Cossom said recent results had only made the Gateway team
more determined to capitalise on what past explorers seem to
Another resource update is scheduled for Q3 2022.
have missed.
Cossom said the emergence of Evermore as a promising shallow
“I know everyone always likes to sound the final bell on WA gold
high-grade discovery in late 2020 had encouraged the company
exploration, saying things like ‘it’s already been explored, there’s
to look at similar opportunities such as Julias.
nothing left to be discovered there’,” he said. “It’s happened a
“Our understanding of the geology at Montague-Boulder led to the
number of times through my career, but people still find things
Evermore discovery and from there we started to really understand
around these old mines.
the interplay of the main geological structures that were hosting the
“All it takes is just going back through the old exploration,
mineralisation and the stratigraphy there,” he said.
realising that it wasn’t very effective and there’s some really easy
“Julias had some work done on it in 2005, but it was about
discoveries still to be made. Gidgee is a great example of that.”
applying that same sort of structural framework to the area, which
Page 29