Horizon lands gold drilling trifecta in WA Murchison

Horizon Gold has unveiled a trifecta of reverse circulation drilling results across its Gum Creek project in Western Australia’s Murchison region, 100km southeast of Meekatharra, extending mineralisation a whopping 800m south of the existing resource at its Howards prospect. At the same time, the drill bit has been delivering broad and high-grade hits at the company’s Heron South and Melbourne Bitter targets.

Horizon is drilling into a serious brownfields growth story. Its 663-square-kilometre gold camp holds 37.97 million tonnes grading 1.89 grams per tonne (g/t) for 2.3 million ounces and has produced more than one million ounces historically. A 48-target exploration runway emerged from an earlier review of ground, peppered by more than 56,000 historical holes totalling over 2400km, with more than 65 per cent of the holes less than 50m deep.

At Howards, 27km southeast of the historic Gidgee mill, the existing 245,300-ounce resource stretches over 1.3km of strike. Every hole drilled on 100m-spaced lines immediately south of the resource intersected gold, extending known mineralisation a further 800m.

Standout results from the recent drilling at Howards included one hole that threw up 6m grading 5.57g/t gold from 70m, including a 3-metre section at 9.91g/t from 71m. A second hole hit 9m at 2.27g/t from 41m, while a third delivered 4m at 4.65g/t from 70m, including a cracking one-metre high-grade core of 17.30g/t gold.

Closer to Gidgee, at Heron South 15km south-southeast of the historic mill, the existing 78,900-ounce resource delivered both width and grade. Results were led by 6m at 12.67g/t from 114m, including a spectacular one-metre slice at 58.70g/t, alongside 25m at 1.79g/t from 84m in a second hole and 12m at 2.35g/t gold from 142m depth in a third. In total, nine holes struck thick mineralisation of 2.5g/t or more, with Horizon saying the drilling confirmed continuity and highlighted potential expansion down dip and to the south along strike.

North of the proposed Gidgee processing hub, Melbourne Bitter sits 26km from Gidgee and holds 21,300 ounces. Shallow drilling returned 21m at 2.14g/t from just 24m, including 8m at 3.64g/t. Horizon says the results confirmed existing grades and widths, extended mineralisation south and highlighted potential for greater width and grade south and west of existing drilling.

The latest results follow impressive drilling at Kingfisher, Hawk and Swan, where the company sees potential resource additions outside the mine plan in the recent definitive feasibility study (DFS).