Gold Potential Shines at Solara's Wilgeena Project
Solara Minerals Ltd (ASX: SLA) has identified significant gold potential at its recently acquired Wilgeena Project in Western Australia, strategically positioned near established gold operations with promising initial exploration results.
Strategic Location in Proven Gold Territory
The Wilgeena Project sits in a prime location within a known gold-producing region, positioned just 15km southeast of Westgold Resources' Peak Hill Gold Mine with JORC resources of 481,000 ounces and 15km south of Catalyst Metals' Hermes gold deposit with historical production of 65,000 ounces and current NI43-101 resources of 243,000 ounces.
Most notably, the project is located just 1.5km south of the Hermes South gold deposit, which hosts a JORC resource of 114,000 ounces and sits along a structural trend that extends directly into Solara's tenure.
"Our review of historical data at Wilgeena has revealed compelling targets with significant gold anomalism that warrant further exploration. The project's proximity to established gold resources and the extension of known mineralized structures into our tenements presents an exciting opportunity," said James Robinson, Executive Director at Solara Minerals.
Historical Results Point to Untapped Potential
A review of historical exploration data has uncovered several promising gold intersections from shallow air core drilling that received minimal follow-up:
- 5m @ 1.03g/t Au
- 2m @ 1.90g/t Au
- 5m @ 1.98g/t Au
- 5m @ 1.58g/t Au
These intersections were largely overlooked by previous operators who were primarily focused on VMS-style copper mineralization rather than gold potential. The historical drilling was shallow, with aircore holes averaging less than 80m in depth, and the limited deeper drilling targeted electromagnetic conductors rather than gold mineralization. This scenario is somewhat similar to how Hammer Metals unveiled two major gold-copper discoveries in North Queensland after refocusing exploration efforts.
Multiple High-Priority Gold Targets Identified
The company has identified several promising targets across the two tenements (E52/4369 and E52/4370):
Wilgeena West (E52/4369)
- Churchill Prospect: Top aircore result of 5m @ 1.03g/t from 55m in the Naracoota Volcanics
- Airborne Electromagnetic (VTEM) and Moving Loop Electromagnetic (MLEM) surveys identified several conductive anomalies
- Two ground gravity anomalies similar to those at Hermes South, potentially representing alteration/faulting zones
Wilgeena East (E52/4370)
- Widespread gold anomalism in shallow drilling testing the Naracoota Volcanics (2m @ 1.9g/t Au and 5m @ 284ppb Au)
- Structures intersecting strong NE trending stratigraphy, with focus on the northern part of the tenement at the contact between the Karalunda and Peak Hill Schist
The exploration team has noted structural similarities to recent promising gold-silver veining intercepts at other Australian exploration sites.
Understanding Gold Mineralization in the Peak Hill Region
The gold potential at Solara Minerals Ltd Wilgeena Project is largely influenced by the regional geological setting. The project covers several key geological units associated with gold mineralization in the region. The geology is dominated by the Naracoota Volcanics of the Bryah Basin, with underlying Karalundi Formation and Peak Hill Schist.
The Peak Hill Schist, a metamorphosed Proterozoic sequence of quartz-muscovite schist, quartzite and mylonitic units, is particularly important as it hosts the nearby Hermes and Hermes South gold deposits. The NE-SW and NW-SE structural features shape mineral occurrences in the region, created by compression events that folded the stratigraphy.
Gold mineralization in the area occurs in both VMS-style copper-gold systems and orogenic gold deposits, with Solara's exploration focus now expanding to include the gold potential of the Peak Hill Schist in addition to the previously targeted Naracoota Volcanics. Furthermore, the geological setting shares characteristics with areas where high-grade gold at Fortitude North has been discovered.
Immediate Next Steps
Solara has already mobilized to site to assess areas of gold anomalism and high-priority target areas. The company is actively:
- Negotiating a Heritage Agreement with the Jidi Jidi Aboriginal Corporation
- Collecting additional historical data including MLEM completed by Alchemy on the northern part of E52/4369
- Evaluating the need for closely spaced ultra-fine fraction (UFF) soil sampling to map suspected NE mineralization trends
Field activities are expected to commence in the coming weeks, with a focus on refining targets for potential diamond and RC drilling programs. This approach resembles the methodical strategy employed in recent gold drilling campaigns by other junior explorers.
Why Investors Should Watch Solara
The gold potential at Solara Minerals Ltd Wilgeena Project presents a compelling investment opportunity for several reasons:
- Strategic Location: The project sits in a proven gold district surrounded by established resources
- Overlooked Potential: Historical focus on copper meant gold potential was under-explored
- Multiple Targets: Several distinct anomalies have been identified across both tenements
- Shallow Mineralization: Initial gold hits were encountered at relatively shallow depths
- Structural Setting: The project contains the same geological structures that host neighboring gold deposits
With field activities commencing shortly and a clear exploration strategy in place, the gold potential at Solara Minerals Ltd Wilgeena Project appears well-positioned to be unlocked as the company focuses on targets that previous operators overlooked while focused on other mineralization styles. In similar fashion to how Austin Metals identified new gold targets along strike from previous discoveries, Solara is poised to leverage structural trends extending from known deposits.
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