Far East Gold Ltd (ASX:FEG) has identified high-grade copper and gold mineralisation at the Sentul prospect within the company’s Trenggalek Copper Gold Project in East Java, Indonesia, during field mapping of planned drill targets.
The ASX-lister’s recently-completed surface sampling at the project indicated significant copper and gold readings from several rock assays within the East Sentul and West Sentul vein systems.
Investors have reacted positively to the news, with Far East Gold shares up about 8.82% at AUD 0.19 in late morning trading.
Historically-speaking
Quartz veins at the Sentul prospect are up to 10-15 metres wide and more than 5 kilometres of collective strike length has been identified to date.
Previous drilling tested about 650 metres of strike length, which is less than 20% of the total defined vein system.
A total of 36 drill holes for 4,696.2 metres have been completed, intersecting two principal, sub-parallel vein systems identified as the East Sentul and West Sentul zones, which remain open in all directions.
Significant historical intercepts from the West Sentul zone include:
- TRDD004 - 9.65 metres at 4.51 g/t gold and 8 g/t silver, including 2 metres at 17.2 g/t gold and 13 g/t silver from 111.35 metres and a further 10.75 metres at 3.62 g/t gold and 9 g/t silver, including 1 metre at 7.34 g/t gold and 10 g/t silver from 127.95 metres; and
- TRDD002 - 6.65 metres at 3.29 g/t gold and 10 g/t silver, including 1 metre at 11.7 g/t gold, 18 g/t silver from 49.35 metres.
Consistent with past reporting
The results of the Sentul mapping are consistent with historical exploration but they also suggest the potential for high-grade gold and silver mineralisation within the vein systems associated with discrete structural zones.
Notably, a grab sample taken at surface and marked as GI004294 at West Sentul returned an assay of 0.84% copper with 1.6 g/t gold and 79 g/t silver, while the grab sample at GI000701 contained high-grade gold with an assay of 20.8 g/t gold and 9.7 g/t silver.
At GI04289, also at West Sentul, assay of 7.1 g/t gold, 161 g/t silver and 0.32% copper is consistent with the high-grade gold and silver assays reported from historical drilling.
Rock samples from GI004289, where assays returned 7.1 g/t gold and 0.32% copper.
Potentially new discovery
At the East Sentul vein, two surface grab samples indicate the occurrence of high-grade gold mineralisation not intersected by previous drilling.
A sample of quartz breccia from the northeastern extend of the vein marked as GI004297 returned assay of 10.7 g/t gold with associated lead and zinc enrichment.
This site is close to the historical drillhole TRDD015, which intersected quartz breccia from 10.75-13.50 metres and 16.70-18.20 metres downhole.
The gold and copper explorer plans to conduct a more thorough sampling here for high-grade mineralisation within discrete, structurally-controlled zones.
Additionally, detailed sampling will also be carried out at the GI000701 site, where rock samples of massive crystalline to chalcedonic quartz assayed 20.8 g/t gold.
Rock sample from GI000701, where assay returned 20.8 g/t gold.
Another prospective area
Far East Gold also carried out a scout drill program at the Buluroto prospect, about 800 metres northwest of Sentul.
The rock sampling here highlighted locally high-grade gold with significant copper.
Historical exploration at Buluroto indicated highly anomalous gold with significantly elevated copper, arsenic and antimony within a poorly defined zone of crackle breccia and quartz stockwork up to 75 metres wide.
Eleven drill holes totalling 1,380.4 metres have been completed in the past, with standout intercepts including:
- TRDD025 - 24.5 metres at 0.49 g/t gold, 0.21% copper and 16 g/t molybdenum from 138.5 metres; and
- TRDD037 - 13.7 metres at 3.2 g/t gold and 60 g/t silver from 13.4 metres, including 2.0 metres at 8.7 g/t gold and 48 g/t silver.
Image source: www.fareast.gold
