Ann: Finding More Gold, Faster, page-162

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Australia has several notable large nuggety-type gold deposits, typically associated with high-grade quartz veins or shear-hosted lodes.

These have similar geological challenges and characteristics to the Star of Mangaroon. Here are some of the most prominent examples:

1. Beta Hunt (WA) – Karora ResourcesFamous For: 2018 discovery of massive gold specimens, including individual nuggets up to 90kg.Type: Shear-hosted lode gold within komatiite ultramafics.Geology: Nuggety gold found in quartz veins related to the Lunnon Basalt shear zones.Mining Implication: Extremely high-grade pods—difficult to model and predict, so underground selective mining is used.

2. Gwalia (Leonora, WA) – Genesis Minerals (formerly St Barbara)Type: High-grade orogenic gold deposit.Nugget Effect: Strong nuggety nature at depth, making resource estimation complex.Geology: Narrow, high-grade quartz veins in a steeply plunging orebody.Mining: Deep underground operation with tight geological control.

3. Bellevue Gold (WA) – Bellevue Gold LtdType: Archean lode gold deposit.Nugget Effect: Historically known for coarse gold and patchy distribution.Geology: High-grade shoots within quartz-carbonate veins in mafic rocks.Status: Being developed into a high-grade underground gold mine.

4. Ballarat (VIC) – Castlemaine Goldfields (LionGold Group)Type: Victorian orogenic goldfield.Nuggety Nature: Extremely coarse gold; gold nuggets often found in quartz reef systems.Geology: Vein-hosted gold in turbidite sequences.Mining: Narrow vein underground methods; very difficult grade control.

5. Fosterville (VIC) – Agnico Eagle (previously Kirkland Lake Gold)Type: Epizonal orogenic gold deposit.Nugget Effect: While early mining saw fine disseminated gold, recent zones (e.g., Swan Zone) have shown visible, nuggety gold.High Grades: Up to 60–100 g/t Au in some zones.Success Story: Hugely profitable due to extremely high grades and excellent metallurgy.Common Themes in Nuggety Gold Deposits:High-grade pockets with variable continuity.Difficult to model with standard resource estimation methods.Require close-spaced drilling and trial mining.Often associated with quartz veining and shear zones.Mining strategies include selective underground mining and gravity recovery processing.Given this, Star of Mangaroon’s nuggety characteristics may place it in the same high-grade, structurally-controlled vein system category—albeit earlier in its development stage. The implication: if ounces can be delineated predictably, it could emulate the success of these mines, particularly with gravity-friendly metallurgy.