Ordell Minerals Uncovers Extensive Shallow Gold Zone at Barimaia
Ordell Minerals has reported significant shallow gold mineralisation over a 300m strike length at its McNabs East Prospect within the Barimaia Gold Project, WA, with assays confirming multiple gold intersections near surface. Diamond drilling assays are pending, as the company prepares to restart drilling in August.
- Shallow gold mineralisation intersected over 300m strike at McNabs East
- Key RC drill results include 14m @ 1.36g/t Au from 10m and 10m @ 1.07g/t Au from 13m
- Barimaia felsic intrusion strike length extended to over 7km
- Diamond drilling completed with assay results expected in August
- Ongoing exploration includes further drilling and metallurgical test work
Shallow Gold Mineralisation Confirmed at McNabs East
Ordell Minerals Limited (ASX, ORD) has announced encouraging results from its recent drilling campaign at the Barimaia Gold Project, located near Mount Magnet in Western Australia's Murchison region. The company’s latest reverse circulation (RC) drilling has intersected gold mineralisation very close to surface along a 300-metre strike length on the western side of the McNabs East Prospect.
Notable intercepts include 14 metres at 1.36 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 10 metres depth, and 10 metres at 1.07 g/t gold from 13 metres, highlighting the potential for open-pit mining. These results reinforce earlier findings of extensive shallow mineralisation and suggest the zone remains open both along strike and at depth.
Extending the Prospective Felsic Intrusion
The Barimaia project’s host rock, a felsic intrusion, has now been extended to over 7 kilometres in strike length following recent air-core drilling. This significant increase in the prospective footprint enhances the exploration upside, as Ordell continues to systematically test for gold mineralisation along this expanded corridor.
Diamond drilling was recently completed on the western side of McNabs East, targeting the broad granodiorite intrusion that hosts the gold mineralisation. While assay results from these five diamond holes are still pending, core logging and sampling are underway, with results expected in the second half of August.
Ongoing Exploration and Future Plans
Ordell plans to resume drilling in August, focusing on expanding the near-surface gold zones and testing mineralisation at depth across the entire granodiorite intrusion, which is more than 200 metres wide. Additional air-core drilling will target strike extensions and anomalous gold zones identified in earlier programs.
Complementing the drilling, initial metallurgical test work is underway to assess the processing characteristics of the mineralisation, an important step towards defining the project’s economic potential.
Strategic Location and Project Context
The Barimaia Gold Project benefits from its location in a Tier-1 mining jurisdiction and proximity to established gold processing infrastructure, including Ramelius Resources’ Mt Magnet mill. Ordell’s exploration targets a style of mineralisation similar to the nearby Eridanus deposit, which hosts over 1.2 million ounces of gold and lies approximately 6 kilometres northwest of Barimaia.
With over 12,700 metres of RC drilling completed since mid-2024, Ordell is steadily building a detailed understanding of the mineralised system, positioning the company well for potential resource upgrades in the near future.
Bottom Line?
As Ordell awaits key assay results and prepares to ramp up drilling, the Barimaia project’s shallow gold potential continues to attract attention, setting the stage for a pivotal exploration phase.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the pending diamond drill assays confirm deeper extensions of the gold mineralisation?
- How will metallurgical test results influence the project's development potential?
- What are the timelines and targets for converting exploration success into a defined resource?
