Intriguingly, Gateway’s extensive gold anomaly is also flanked by a distinct molybdenum-bismuth-tellurium-copper anomaly immediately to its east which coincides with and defines the mapped surface expression of the Great Western intrusive body.
The intrusive target and the related gold anomalism along nearby shears and their convergences are centred about 4.5 kilometres northwest of the company’s proven, highly prospective Horse Well gold camp.
Horse Well was the principal area of successful exploration activity by Strickland Metals before Strickland moved its project emphasis to Serbia, selling its Yandal project to Gateway in August.
The Yandal project lies along the eastern flank of the prolific Yandal Greenstone Belt which also hosts other major gold operations such as Northern Star’s Jundee mine, known for its Archaean high-grade, narrow-vein lode-style gold deposits.
Surface transported cover in the area is typically thin, meaning that gold mineralisation at Great Western is expected to be at – or very close to – surface.
Gateway Mining executive chairman Andrew Bray, said: “The surface geochemical results from Great Western continue to demonstrate that this is a very large gold system with tremendous potential for significant new discoveries in upcoming drill programs. What we have defined so far has the broad hallmarks of a typical, large-scale Eastern Goldfields gold camp
From the multiple surface geochemical sampling programs and ongoing ground-based mapping, Gateway has identified four key mineralised target areas or types.
These include a dilational zone, where the Great Western Shear corridor departs from the intrusive body and the Northern Archaean Block to wrap around and converge with the Nabberu shear to the west.
The main mafic-intermediate contact forms an extensive second target area, with coherent gold anomalism over the 11.5km strike along the sheared contact between the mafic and intermediate volcanic units. It is the same contact that hosts the high-grade gold mineralisation across the Horse Well gold camp.
A third target area comprises the suite of north-west trending shear zones that wrap around the northern margin of the Northern Archaean Block, which are interpreted as splay structures off the main Celia Shear zone with gold potential.
It is inferred that the various relationships indicate compression and shearing of the Northern Archaean Block, believed to relate to the combined movements and forces of the west-bounding Nabberu Shear, the Great Western Shear to the north and the Celia Shear on its eastern margin.
All of those major structures reflect the overall stress regime across the Yandal East belt and are known to be important hosts for gold mineralisation, offering a new large area for additional gold potential south of the Great Western intrusive, with current soil results appearing to confirm the model.
The fourth gold host is the Great Western Shear itself, where it is squeezed between the Northern Archaean Block and the Great Western intrusive, with the likelihood of more severe distortion along the trend opening up potential conduits for mineralisation.
In other work, as flagged last week, Gateway has kicked off a 4600m diamond drilling program, targeted for completion prior to the end of 2025.
While drilling will initially focus on various targets at Dusk ’til Dawn – partially funded by the WA Government’s Round 31 Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) co-funded drilling program – some of that diamond metreage will also be directed towards, ideally, two fully company-funded stratigraphic diamond drill holes at Great Western.
They will be designed to provide critical geological information which will feed into the planned major reverse circulation (RC) programs at Great Western, slated to begin first thing in the new year when Gateway expects to initially have two RC rigs dedicated to drilling Great Western.
The company says that while the holes are not intended specifically to target gold mineralisation, there is always the potential for the holes to intersect something significant given the ubiquitous soil anomalism and the structural complexity of the area.
Gateway remains well capitalised to undertake its planned 2025 and 2026 exploration programs too, with cash and liquid ASX-listed securities of approximately $12.1m as at the end of the June quarter.
The latest surface geochemical results and coincident geophysical interpretations position the multiple-target Great Western area as a potential new cornerstone of Gateway’s Yandal ambitions, blending classic Yilgarn geology with an as-yet unexplored extent.
With drilling underway and rigs primed for 2026, Gateway is eyeing-off a possible breakout year in unearthing more Eastern Goldfields riches.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
