Defiance West Drill Hits 3.4m @ 3.12g/t and Visible Gold at Depth
Lunnon Metals has confirmed notable gold mineralisation at its Defiance West target within the Kambalda Gold & Nickel Project, revealing promising new exploration opportunities along the Foster Thrust shear zone.
- Significant gold intercepts including 3.4m @ 3.12g/t Au and 1.7m @ 1.97g/t Au
- Visible gold identified in drill core at depth
- Foster Thrust shear zone confirmed as a new gold host
- Drilling co-funded by Western Australian Government's Exploration Incentive Scheme
- Second drill hole planned to refine and test new targets
Exploration Breakthrough at Defiance West
Lunnon Metals Limited (ASX: LM8) has announced encouraging assay results from its recent diamond drilling campaign at the Defiance West target, part of its expansive Kambalda Gold & Nickel Project (KGNP) in Western Australia. The drilling has intersected two significant gold-bearing structures, including a 3.4-metre interval grading 3.12 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and a deeper 1.7-metre zone averaging 1.97 g/t gold, with visible gold observed in the core. These findings confirm that Defiance West is permissive for gold mineralisation, a critical milestone for this historically underexplored area.
Unlocking New Geological Targets
The first drill hole, co-funded by the Western Australian Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS), successfully intersected a broad dolerite unit previously unrecognised as a host for gold. Within this unit, a sericite-pyrite shear zone was identified, marking a potentially important new target for gold mineralisation. Additionally, the drilling intersected the Foster Thrust, a major 100-metre-wide shear zone historically overlooked for gold potential. The presence of gold mineralisation within this structure, including a high-grade 0.4-metre interval at 7.02 g/t gold containing visible gold, opens an exciting new exploration search space over a vertical extent exceeding 870 metres.
Strategic Significance in a Prolific Gold District
The KGNP lies within the renowned Kambalda/St Ives gold camp, one of Australia’s most prolific gold-producing regions with over 16 million ounces mined historically. Lunnon Metals holds 100% of the gold rights in the Foster-Baker area, with strong infrastructure nearby including processing plants operated by its major shareholder, Gold Fields Limited. The discovery of gold mineralisation at Defiance West, particularly along the Foster Thrust, suggests the potential for significant new deposits in a district where the largest finds often emerge later in the exploration cycle.
Next Steps and Future Prospects
With the first hole’s results now interpreted, Lunnon Metals is preparing to drill a second EIS-funded hole designed to refine and test these newly identified targets. The company is also undertaking detailed geological and geophysical analyses, including downhole surveys and rock property measurements, to enhance the understanding of the mineralised structures. Longer term, reprocessing of existing seismic data may further aid targeting. These efforts underscore Lunnon Metals’ commitment to unlocking the full potential of Defiance West and the broader KGNP.
Bottom Line?
Lunnon Metals’ Defiance West results mark a pivotal step in expanding gold exploration in Kambalda, with deeper drilling poised to reveal further insights.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the upcoming second drill hole confirm and extend the gold mineralisation zones?
- How economically viable are the newly identified gold structures at Defiance West?
- Could the Foster Thrust become a major new gold-producing corridor in the region?
