Although the Widgiemooltha Dome in Western Australia has a history steeped in nickel sulphide production, one ASX-listed explorer is seriously attempting to give the area’s gold credentials a further boost.
Last month, Dynamic Metals Ltd announced initial assay results from 32 RC drill holes completed at the Cognac West prospect, located 100 kilometres south of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, where the company has generated multiple yellow metal targets and is now expecting to conduct further drilling (75 holes) in the foreseeable future across Anomaly A and B.
In early May, Dynamic ‒ which controls around 800 square kilometres of tenements between Kambalda and Norsemen ‒ said while its first phase of exploration, involving a 4800 metre field campaign of 32 angled RC holes drilled to a depth of 150 metres, had significantly changed the expected geological units from previous interpretations of the two anomalies, initial results were nevertheless highly encouraging
In the volcanoclastic units at Anomaly B, both broad low grade gold intercepts were recorded, including 44m at 0.33 grams per tonne, in addition to a narrower higher grade zone in some fresh rock, where an intersection of up to 8m at 2.87g/t (with 4m at 5.37g/t) was returned.
Meanwhile, at Anomaly A, a quartz vein was mapped at surface within the weathering profile rather than in the targeted fresh rock. This will now be subjected to further testing in the next exploration phase.
According to the company, Cognac West is structurally complex with interpreted second order structures around a late felsic intrusion that is approximately 500m to the east of the major Republican Thrust structure.
The area has been subjected to near-surface historic exploration dating back to the 1970s, including soil sampling and shallow drilling. Data sets from this work, however, were often left incomplete and limited to gold assays only.
Encouragingly, a peak hole from the 1990s included 1m at 91.3g/t from 41m.
During 2024, Dynamic undertook an extensive soil sampling program at the prospect, where samples taken every 50m along 200m spaced east-west lines initially highlighted three areas hosting over 0.025g/t gold anomalism.
Furthermore, follow-up infill soil sampling identified several higher grade zones of over 0.1g/t.
Additionally, the company completed geological mapping and rock sampling, which supported the potential for significant gold mineralisation, with peak assay results including 2040g/t, 53.1g/t and 8.95g/t.
All exploration information was incorporated into a geological model of the area to generate several RC drill targets across anomalies A and B, where up to 75 drill holes are planned over several field campaigns.
Not surprisingly, the primary target at Anomaly A is now the gold-bearing quartz vein mapped at surface.
Meanwhile, at Anomaly B, five RC holes drilled on the southern-most drill line defined a 100m wide east-west zone of that is spatially consistent with both the peak gold in soil at the targeted area and a subtle disruption identified in the airborne magnetic data.
The 4m composite gold results of 24m at 0.33g/t and 44m at 0.33g/t (including 4m at 1.21g/t from 60m) are predominantly from within fresh rock geology and potentially located on the edges of a more strongly mineralised system.
Dynamic will further explore this area in the next phase of field activities by conducting drilling at different orientations to test interpreted structural features potentially related to the mineralisation.
The company’s managing director, Karen Wellman, said the goal of the next program was to increase the junior’s understanding of the bedrock geology to refine targeting, as well as identify a high grade zone and other broad mineralised zones.
Back in 2000, the now-gone Western Mining sold its Widgiemooltha Dome nickel assets – namely Miiitel, Wannaway, Mariners and Redross ‒ to Mincor Resources NL, which in subsequent years became a major player in the Kambalda region before being absorbed by Wyloo Consolidated Investments Pty Ltd during 2023.
Prior to the takeover, Miitel had also developed the Cassini underground operation, which is situated 128 kilometres south of Kalgoorlie-Boulder at the dome’s southern end.
It, with other nickel mines, was eventually put on care and maintenance in mid-2024 partly due to a slump in the base metal’s price and the sector’s market backlash following the establishment of a supply deal between Indonesia, the world’s largest nickel-producing country, and China.
Interestingly, Wyloo also has a gold project at Widgiemooltha, but according to its website, the company hasn’t toll-treated any of the ore from there since 2019.
