The shear is a major structure which trends north-south along the western edge of the Montague Granodiorite Dome and represents the most extensively mineralised zone within the project area.
It hosts the Montague-Boulder deposit (with an indicated and inferred resource of 163,000 ounces of gold) and the Evermore discovery (inferred 67,000oz), as well as historical open pits mined at the Caledonian and Caledonian NE prospects.
Two holes drilled at Caledonian tested below the historical open pit for the first time, and intersected wide zones of of shearing with associated quartz veining.
It is reported to be the same mineralisation observed at Montague-Boulder to the north.
The holes targeted fresh rock for the first time, with positive assays opening up more than 1 kilometre of strike potential which has never been tested at depth.
Best results were 13m at 1.4 grams per tonne gold from 101m, including 2m at 6.4g/t; and 18m at 0.5g/t gold from 106m.
Gateway managing director Mark Cossom said the latest results demonstrate the wider potential of the Caledonian-Montague Shear.
“The strategic focus of our recent drilling has been to open up new avenues where we see the opportunity to make quantum leaps in terms of discovery and resource growth at the Montague project [and] the Caledonian-Montague Shear is clearly one such opportunity,” he said.
“We have now intersected significant primary mineralisation over a vast strike distance, from the Caledonian pit in the south to the Evermore deposit in the north … we see a clear pathway to add further ounces and make further discoveries along this large, well-endowed system.”
According to Mr Cossom, extension of mineralisation from Evermore toward the Armada prospect to the north has highlighted the shear’s scale over a strike length of more than 4km.
“There are big gaps in the drilling,” he said.
The intersection of a thick zone of primary mineralisation suggested substantial gold mineralisation could be hosted at depth below the historic Caledonian open pit.
Along with newly-discovered large-scale mineralisation at the nearby Achilles East target area, the Caledonian-Montague Shear is believed to be a second, large-scale target within the Montague project.
Mr Cossom said the company would continue to develop similar targets as part of an ongoing exploration strategy at Montague aimed at delivering further growth to the current 526,000oz mineral resource.
