Latest news with #Birimian-age
West Australian
6 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Castle ramps up Ghana gold hunt with 410-hole auger sampling program
Castle Minerals is intensifying exploration at its Kandia gold prospect in Ghana's emerging Upper West gold region with a 410-hole power auger drilling campaign. The program aims to extend known gold zones, including at Kandia's 4000 and 8000 prospects, and test new priority targets identified through proprietary high-resolution aeromagnetic survey data. The targets are associated with deeply penetrating regional-scale structures, known to host multi-million-ounce gold systems elsewhere in West Africa. The campaign will span Castle's licences in the Wa East region, covering large tracts of highly prospective Birimian-age terrane, a geological setting renowned for hosting major gold deposits. These deposits often align with deep structures that channel gold-bearing fluids toward the surface. Using its aeromagnetic data, Castle has pinpointed where these structures intersect Birimian rocks and is ranking sites for potential near-surface gold anomalism. Anomalies confirmed by auger drilling will be fast-tracked for earliest possible follow-up using reverse circulation drilling. A key area of focus is the northern part of the Kandia licence, where the contact between Birimian metasediments and a granite intrusive trends northeast toward Azumah Resources' Ghanaian Black Volta gold project, home to multi-million-ounce deposits on the border with Burkina Faso. Previous reverse circulation drilling at Kandia's 4000 and 8000 zones involved 11 holes for 1510 metres of drilling and was successful in extending gold mineralisation and confirming well-defined lodes to about 150m depth. Notable results from that work included 5m at 1 gram per tonne (g/t) gold from 173m depth, 2m at 1.51g/t gold from 176m, 2m at 1.33g/t gold from 137m, 3m at 1.42g/t gold from 82m and a high-grade 1m at 9.91g/t gold from 50m. A structural review by Castle has also identified additional untested targets along the granite-metasediment contact. Castle is also advancing its Kpali gold, 100 kilometres southwest of Kandia, employing its aeromagnetic data to design a targeted auger sampling campaign. Located at the convergence of the Bole-Bolgatanga and Wa-Lawra greenstone belts, Kpali sits near the Ghana-Burkina Faso-Côte d'Ivoire border junction. That location also places Kpali about 75km southwest of a cluster of gold projects in the adjacent nation of Burkina Faso, including AngloGold Ashanti's 5.2-million-ounce Konkera-Batie West gold project as well as the Tonior gold project, owned by Jilbey Burkina, a subsidiary of Russia's Nordgold. The Kpali and the nearby Burkina Faso projects are hosted within extensive West African Birimian greenstones, but while they are not believed to lie along the same geological trend or structure, their geological commonalities reinforce the prospectivity of the vastly under-explored Birimian rocks in Castle's Ghanaian ground. The Birimian terrane extends well beyond Ghana to span Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso. It is a powerhouse for gold mineralisation, hosting metamorphosed volcanic, sedimentary and plutonic rocks formed about 2.2 billion years ago. Ghana's northern region is relatively underexplored compared to the country's better-known southern goldfields and is a hotbed for new discoveries, similar to Côte d'Ivoire's thriving exploration scene. This overall geological and structural context enhances Castle's prospects for defining substantial, shallow-depth, bulk-tonnage gold mineralisation at Kpali and Kandia, particularly along the latter's 16km southwest-trending sheared contact with a regional granodiorite intrusion. Castle plans to undertake further reverse circulation drilling at Kandia next month to chase up significant anomalies defined by the auger program. With its strategic focus on Ghana's northern frontier and the richly endowed Birimian geology, Castle is well-positioned to unlock new gold discoveries in this underexplored region. Castle's aggressive exploration at Kandia and Kpali applies cutting-edge data to a world-class prospective geological setting, laying the groundwork for potential game-changing gold discoveries in Ghana's Upper West region. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
West Australian
10-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Castle drilling results lift Ghanaian Kandia prospect status
Castle Minerals has confirmed good mineralisation continuity through multiple gold lodes at its Kandia prospect in Ghana from the company's recently completed two-zone, 11-hole, 1510-metre reverse circulation drilling program. The two zones are centred about 4 kilometres apart – the southernmost 4000 Zone has artisanal gold workings. The latest reverse circulation drilling program put nine holes into the 4000 Zone and two holes in the 8000 Zone, which both occupy a 6km-long northeast-striking contact between Birimian metasediments and a major granite intrusion. Four holes at the 4000 Zone explored the depth extent of mineralised zones defined by previous drilling, extending their respective targets to depths of 150m below surface. The drilling delivered a program best result of 1m at 9.91 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 50m and 6m at 1.68g/t gold from 74m. Overall drilling results from the 4000 Zone confirm intercepts from reverse circulation drilling earlier this year, which included 24m at 1.78g/t gold from 139m, with 7m going 3.36g/t gold from 149m. A second earlier hole nailed 11m at 2.26g/t gold from 79m, including 5m at 3.49g/t gold from 82m. North-trending parallel structures appear to define the distribution of mineralisation within the 4000 Zone. Mineralisation, which could be more extensive than previously thought, will be followed up in a later round of drilling. One of the two holes put into the 8000 Zone to follow up previously defined mineralisation delivered 4m at 1.11g/t gold from 23m and 2m at 4.15g/t gold from 38m. Castle's exploration at Kandia is gradually transforming the prospect from just shallow gold anomalism to a series of promising mineralised gold prospects with good depth and strike continuity and plenty of upside. The company's previous geochemical sampling and shallow rotary air blast drilling identified several zones of anomalism arrayed along a prospective northeast-trending corridor, which parallels the contact between western Birimian-age metasediments and a major granite intrusion on its east side. The contact relationship is typical for many gold deposits in West Africa. The largely under-explored Kandia tenure is one of several areas making up Castle's prospective holdings in its Wa tenure, about 90km north of the company's current flagship Kpali project. At its northern end, the Kandia corridor abuts Azumah Resources' Black Volta gold project, containing an estimated 2.8-million-ounce gold resource, which is slated for development this year. Castle is systematically testing Kandia for primary mineralisation and to improve its understanding of the local gold distribution controls. The structural picture has been enhanced by a recently updated interpretive study, employing high-resolution aeromagnetic data from a 2010 survey. The latest interpretation reveals that much of the Kandia granite-metasediment contact is traversed by a series of cross-cutting structures. Significantly, the 4000 and 8000 Zones lie close to two of these cross-cutting structures . Castle tentatively probed the possibility of mineralisation related to the cross-cutting structures in the 4000 Zone with two holes east of the main drilling area but drew a blank with that brief sortie. The theory is still worth pursuing. With less than 16km of the structural corridor tested to date, mostly by shallow rotary air blast or reverse circulation drilling, it is plain that a considerable opportunity exists to identify additional mineralisation along the trend. Encouraged by the initial outcomes from its interpretive work, Castle has extended the study across its entire Wa East tenure to define additional areas of interest outside the Kandia trend. Castle will kick off an auger geochemical sampling campaign in early August to validate existing and new targets at Kandia and proposes a September reverse circulation drilling program to follow up any encouraging targets from that work. The company's key focus at Kandia is to define a significant tonnage of shallow mineralisation in the prospect's multiple, near-surface deposits, buoyed by the potential strategic benefits of the nearby developing Black Volta gold operation. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
West Australian
20-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Castle chases Ghanaian gold with 20-hole drill program
ASX-listed West African mineral explorer Castle Minerals has completed a 2500-metre, 20-hole reverse circulation drill program ahead of schedule, as the company chases more high-grade gold at its nine-licence, 2686-square-kilometre Kpali project in Ghana's Upper West region. The company is on a mission to define a resource of one million ounces of gold and believes there are sufficient prospects at its Kpali and Kandia projects to provide a springboard towards its goal. Drilling was primarily designed to test for depth and along strike extensions to high-grade mineralisation and targeted three separate prospects - Kpali, Bundi and Artisanal. Drill core samples were transported in stages to the Intertek lab, 300 kilometres south. The company should receive assays for Kpali's 12 holes in early June, Artisanal's three holes in mid-June and Bundi's five holes by the end of that month. Castle recently identified a promising area comprising artisanal mine workings about 1.5km south of Kpali. The workings are associated with the same interpreted structural zone controlling mineralisation at Kpali and Bundi. An initial three holes were plunged into the prospect. It will be interesting to see what they produce. Five holes drilled at Bundi follow up several noteworthy intervals intercepted in 2013 and 2014, in addition to solid results revealed in February this year. Shallow gold results from 2013-2014 of 3m at 3.19 grams per tonne (g/t) from 25m, 4m going 2.38g/t from 30m and a 6m run at 3.32g/t from 37m, demonstrated the company might be onto something. Deeper gold hits consisting of a 2m slice grading 9.09g/t from 68m, a stellar 1m hit at 51.03g/t from 168m and 5m for a return of 1.4g/t from 209m proved some mineralisation existed at depth. At the Kpali prospect, February's results are from its fifth round of drilling, of an eight-hole, 1106m reverse circulation program, which returned several solid results. Assays included 12m at 8.29g/t gold from 25m with a 1m peak of 20.43g/t from 36m, in addition to 11m going 2.24g/t gold from 50m and 9m at 4.81g/t from 107m. A compelling feature within the Kpali project is the convergence of two major Birimian-age greenstone belts, the Bole-Bolgatanga and the Wa-Lawra/Boromo belts, along with three regional-scale structures. Management believes the geology supports its view that Kpali contains sufficient prospects to become a major new mining camp. It says Kpali's geological setting is typical of a structurally controlled, orogenic-style mineralisation, similar to that hosting several world-class gold operations in Ghana and West Africa. There appears to be an extensive interpreted north-south trending corridor that links the Bundi, Kpali and Artisanal prospects. Kpali has now been subjected to five drill programs involving widely spaced holes, which have confirmed near-surface, shallow plunging high-grade lode-style mineralisation to a depth of 100m. Multiple sub-parallel lodes have been identified across a 650m strike length. The project includes additional prospective areas, Kpali East, Wa South East and Wa South West, which are currently considered to be in an early stage. Castle plans for the drill rig to now move to Kandia, 110km northeast, to further interrogate its 4000 and 8000 discovery zones. A 12-hole, 1590m program will test several compelling targets. Best results at Kandia include 24m at 1.78g/t gold from 139m, including 7m going 3.36g/t from 149m, in addition to 11m at 2.36g/t from 79m. Extensive artisanal mining has occurred at both discovery zones across a considerable width along the northeast trend, highlighting its prospectivity for modern exploration. West Africa is now regarded as one of the world's premier gold regions, with 15 discoveries of more than 2M ounces since 2012. A significant portion of these discoveries have been found in Birimian-age greenstone rocks, the same type of rocks that host mineralisation at Kpali and Kandia. Castle will eagerly await the recent drilling results at Kpali and assays from Kandia, as the company gears up its trajectory towards its million-ounce golden goal. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
