Tag Archives: Enfield prospect

Power Metal Resources plc (LON:POW) the AIM listed metals exploration and development company is pleased to announce an exploration update in respect of Red Rock Australasia Pty Ltd (“RRAL”) a joint venture company with gold exploration interests near the historic mining centre of Ballarat in the Victoria Goldfields.

Power Metal has a 49.9% interest in RRAL, with Red Rock Resources plc (“Red Rock”)(LON:RRR)  holding a 50.1% interest.

Highlights:

• Further to the Company’s announcement of 3 February 2021 announcing the commencement of exploration on recently granted exploration licences a sampling and mapping programme has been undertaken.
• The programme objectives were to identify potential southern extensions to the main lode systems of Ballarat East through looking for low level gold anomalism and pathfinder elements and to evaluate the relative effectiveness of X-ray Fluorescence (“XRF”)  and Mobile Metal Irons (“MMI”)  testing in the region, as part of a programme of work to constrain the areas to be drill tested later in the year.
• A total of 1,024 soil and rock chip samples were collected in EL007271 and EL007281 in the old Monmouth/Enfield and O’Laughlin/Scotsburn mining areas for XRF and MMI testing as follows:
  • 142 soil samples have been collected to date in EL007281 with rock chip sampling, mapping and sampling of road cuttings continuing at present.
  • 882 soil samples have been collected in EL007271 of which 84 have been sent for MMI analysis.
• Sample analysis results are expected to be received in the coming weeks.
• Preparation of work plan and stakeholder engagement for trenching around Monmouth.

RRAL Director Dave Holden comments: “Increasing evidence from previously unknown workings of east-west lines of mineralization at Monmouth, in an area where the main geological trend runs north-south, has been an interesting outcome of our work to date, and is being actively followed up.

As early as 1903 it was recognised that this mineralisation may be different to the main Ballarat system, with reference to a pyrite lode and “gold shale”. The numerous reefs along both the Happy Thought line and at the Monmouth Mine were considered at the time to be strongly reminiscent of the Jubilee Mine project (mined 1887 – 1913). That mine produced approximately 130,000 ounces of gold at a recovered grade of around 12 g/t*, showing the potential importance of east-west structures in this environment.

The programme is going well and besides working on our technical presentations we continue to intensify our community engagement and to prepare our environmental programme including flora and fauna surveys. The pace of activity is intensifying as more of our licence applications start to be granted.”

*ref: Navarre Minerals Ltd website

Background Information on Current Programme

Prospects

The O’Laughlin prospect is coincident with a broad potassic anomaly and weakly anomalous geochemical signature.  It covers minor hard rock historical workings that remain largely undocumented whilst areas of alluvial workings exist in the valleys on the side of the main ridge confirm the likelihood of gold shedding from within the prospect area.**  Nearby, Scotsburn displays a similar geochemical and radiometric signature and sits north along strike from O’Laughlin. 

**   One map reference to the Glasgow and Enfield reefs 1859 and a single newspaper article refer to mining on the Glasgow reef in 1865. These reefs lie central to this project area.

The Scotsburn prospect comprises a more consolidated line of workings for over a kilometre to the well-known Locomotive Extended mine and shafts north of Buninyong (southeast of Ballarat).  The Devonshire reef system just east of Buninyong township and extending down through the Scotsburn target area was actively mined in numerous shafts during the late 1890s.

The Enfield prospect (or Monmouth prospect) covers the historical area of the Monmouth and Happy Thought mines which are also largely undocumented however the prospect area is considered potentially to cover the southern extension of the Ballarat West lode system.

Programme

RRAL has initiated a comprehensive soil sampling program over the areas in conjunction with detailed field mapping.

The sampling is using both traditional MMI low level analytical methods as well as evaluating the efficacy of portable XRF analyser as a cost-effective alternative allowing a significantly higher number of samples to be collected with a shorter turnaround for results.

In conjunction with the extensive soil sampling, field mapping and discrete sampling of quartz veins both within workings and newly identified at surface will be undertaken. It is anticipated that the outcomes of the first phase of exploration could lead to confirmation that significant mineralisation is present and will allow planning to start for a drill programme later in the year. 

FURTHER INFORMATION

Joint Venture Company – RRAL

RRAL is a joint venture company 50.1% owned by Red Rock and 49.9% owned by Power Metal Resources plc. Paul Johnson, CEO of Power Metal and Andrew Bell, Chairman of Power Metal and Red Rock, are directors of RRAL.

Granted Licences

RRAL has five granted licences over the three appplications nearest to the regional centre of Ballarat, namely EL007271 (“Blue Whale”), EL007281 (“Blue Chip”), and EL007285 (“Blue Ribbon”), a licence further south EL007327 (“Blue Stocking”), and one north of Daylesford EL007385 (“Sardinia”).

These licences cover 279 sq km and cover high priority areas where RRAL has early drill targets that it is developing.

Applications

RRAL has licence applications in process for eleven other new gold exploration licence areas covering approximately 2,057 km² in the Victoria Goldfields of Australia as follows:

* Balmaine Gold Pty Ltd, Mercator Gold Australia Pty Ltd, and Loddon Gold Pty Ltd have put in competing applications the same day as RRAL for the ground covered by EL007540. The application considered to have greatest merit will eventually be given priority. 

The technical information relating to exploration in this report is compiled by David Holden, BSc, MBA, MEM, who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Mr Holden has experience in the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration. Mr Holden is the Exploration Manager of RRAL. 

For further information please visit https://www.powermetalresources.com/ or contact:

Notes to Editors:

Power Metal Resources plc (LON:POW) is an AIM listed metals exploration and development company seeking a large scale metal discovery.

The Company has a global portfolio of project interests including precious metals exploration in North America and Australia together with base and strategic metal metal exploration in Africa. Project interests range from early stage greenfield exploration to later stage prospects currently subject to drill programmes.

The Board and its team of advisors have expertise in project generation, exploration and development and have identified an opportunity to utilise the Company’s position to become a leader in the London market for investors wishing to gain exposure to proactive global metals exploration.