A Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling program has commenced at the Lake Mackay Project, which is located 400 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs.
The Lake Mackay Project is a joint venture between Independence Group NL (IGO) and Prodigy Gold NL. The project comprises approximately 19,200 square kilometres of exploration licences and applications.
The 9,600-metre RC drilling program is designed to test bedrock conductors generated from the Moving Loop Electromagnetic (MLEM) Surveys that are presently being undertaken over the 63 targets that were identified in the airborne electromagnetic survey in January 2019.
Drilling will include the Grimlock Ni-CoMn Prospect and several conductors in the Blaze Au-Cu-Pb-Zn Prospect area where MLEM is presently in progress.
Each conductor is to be tested with 1-2 RC holes, to determine the cause of the conductors and any metals present. This, combined with downhole EM, will see several targets tested at a rapid rate over the next two to three months.
IGO is aiming to complete 9,600 metres of RC drilling this financial year, however, due to the large number of conductors and other anomalies being targeted for initial drill-testing, the drilling program is expected to continue into FY2020.
Prodigy Gold’s Managing Director, Matt Briggs said they are pleased that drilling is now underway at Lake Mackay, with IGO commencing an aggressive RC campaign to test several very compelling base metals targets over the coming months.
“Over the past four years, IGO has systematically screened and reviewed in excess of 8,000 square kilometres of tenements in the Lake Mackay region to define a set of targets that we believe have the potential to host a number of base metal discoveries,” Mr Briggs said.
IGO has further committed approximately AU$4.4 million in FY19 towards ‘unlocking the underlying potential of Lake Mackay’.
Mr Briggs said it is a significant vote of confidence in the project.
Lastly, the Lake Mackay Project area has been increased by 50 per cent through new exploration licence applications to ensure that prospective surrounding areas that host rocks of potentially similar age to mineralisation intersected at the Grapple Prospect are included in the project.
IGO has 70 per cent in the Lake Mackay Project, while Prodigy Gold holds the remaining 30 per cent.