Barton Gold targets expansion of Tunkillia gold project with new drilling

By Colin Hay - August 30, 2023

Barton Gold (ASX: BGD) is preparing to commence a new drilling campaign aimed at significantly expanding its Tunkillia gold project in South Australia.

The company’s contractor, Egan Drilling, has now mobilised a rig for the program and drilling is expected to begin immediately after it arrives on site.

Barton is using Egan’s specialist track mounted rig which is able to navigate through the sandy terrain at Tunkillia as the company looks to test for potential extensions to the current resources.

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An initial program of approximately 7,500 metres is planned to test potential northern and southern extensions of an April 2023 block model of the 223 deposit, along with other areas with the potential to increase thickness and/or grade.

The program is expected to help add detail for a further updated mineral resources estimate (MRE) for Tunkillia, with the historic project’s total mineralised footprint having grown significantly under Barton’s ownership, including the discovery of three new satellite gold zones since November 2021.

Recent MRE upgrade

The new program will look to build on an updated MRE for Tunkillia’s 223 deposit released in late April 2023 which added approximately 12 million tonnes to the MRE with approximately 189,000 new ounces added for only $12 per ounce (all inclusive).

The 223 deposit JORC resources increased to 1.15 million ounces of gold, with 38 million tonnes at 0.94 grams per tonne, with approximately 58% of that in the indicated category.

Barton’s total resources increased to 1.3 million ounces of gold, with 40.6 million tonnes at 1.0 grams per tonne with approximately 52% at the indicated level.

Plenty of upside

Located around 70km south/south-east of the Tarcoola project, Tunkillia is sited on a roughly 1,360 square kilometre tenement package.

Barton has identified more than 20km of untested strike at the project and is excited about the potential of a major “kilometres-wide Kalgoorlie style shear zone” it is chasing there.

Barton has assessed that Tunkillia hosts multiple advanced ‘Line of Lode’ targets on the western and eastern demagnetised margins of the Yarlbrinda Shear, located in the vicinity of the 223 deposit.

The 223 deposit was discovered during 1996, and since around the year 2000 the majority of drilling in the area has been focused on infill drilling of that deposit.

Shallow historical drilling has also uncovered the potential for extensive mineralisation and has identified multiple local satellite targets. This historical drilling is now set to be tested with the new program.

Follow up programs planned

Barton is looking at an extended drilling campaign and following the completion of the initial approximately 7,500 metre program it is planning to move the rig to further sites targeting potential conversion of the local satellite zones to new mineral resources.

The company will also incorporate testing of priority discovery targets along strike of the 223 deposit as it looks to grow Tunkillia’s overall project footprint and its potential long-term development profile.

The company’s current focus is on new gold zones all within an approximate 3km cluster.

Cashed up for exploration

Barton is kicking off this program with a very strong cash position allowing it to comfortably undertake this and future exploration work thanks to the riches the company has received throughout 2023.

Most notably the company recovered an initial estimated 10+ tonnes of gold bearing materials from the gold room, ball mills, sumps, floor and gravity circuit during a review of its Central Gawler mill.

Total saleable gold concentrates have added up to approximately 11 dry tonnes grading at around 3,880 grams per tonne of gold, for a contained metal value of around 1,400 ounces of gold, with more than $5 million worth of the precious metal collected to date.