Exploration Overview
Silver Lake's Mount Monger project area represents a contiguous lease package covering approximately 10 strike km of highly prospective greenstone stratigraphy. The Mount Monger goldfield consists of dozens of historic workings on several lines of mineralisation, most of which have not been sufficiently explored, particularly at depth. Importantly, many of these workings are in very close proximity to Daisy Milano mine, which presents an opportunity to exploit neighboring lodes via the current mine infrastructure.
Until recently, ownership of tenements over the Mount Monger goldfield has been fragmented, and divided between multiple owners. As a result, it has not been possible to implement a consolidated, holistic approach to regional exploration. Now that Silver Lake has single ownership the full potential of this highly prospective 10 km of strike can now be realized.
Despite the lack of a consolidated approach to date, past explorers have noted the potential for multiple open cut and underground deposits within the project area. Silver Lake commenced its exploration programme in January 2008 targeting 2.5 Moz Au in resource.
New Resources
Christmas Flats
FIGURE 1Section through Christmas Flats resourceClick image to enlarge
The new gold resource at Christmas Flats is accessible by open pit mining. Figure 1 presents a section through a portion of the resource.
The Christmas Flats area comprises the historical mines known as Haoma, Maranoa and Dinnie Riggio. All of these areas were mined via underground with production ceasing in the early 1960s. In the mid 1990s an open pit was mined at the northern end of the Dinnie Riggio ore body. Silver Lake has undertaken a re-evaluation of the hisotorical drilling and conducted a re-interpretation of the geological model. The resource is currently the subject of a full mining evaluation to test the feasibility of an open pit operation.
Diamond drilling carried out by Silver Lake at the southern end of Christmas Flats shows the mineralised system continues at depth, to the south, and may in the future become an underground mining operation.
Measured Resources | Indicated Resources | Inferred Resources | Total Resources | |||||||||
Deposit | Ore | Grade | Total | Ore | Grade | Total | Ore | Grade | Total | Ore | Grade | Total |
| Christmas Flats | - | - | - | 206.5 | 3.5 | 23.0 | 247.2 | 3.5 | 28.1 | 453.7 | 3.5 | 51.1 |
Lorna Doone and Costello
The resources at Lorna Doone and Costello have open cut potential and are located at the southern end of the Mount Monger tenements. Lorna Doone is presently subject to a mining feasibility study. We plan to mine the existing resource in early 2009.
Measured Resources | Indicated Resources | Inferred Resources | Total Resources | |||||||||
Deposit | Ore | Grade | Total | Ore | Grade | Total | Ore | Grade | Total | Ore | Grade | Total |
| Costello | - | - | - | - | - | - | 94.0 | 3.7 | 11.2 | 94.0 | 3.7 | 11.2 |
| Lorna Doone | - | - | - | - | - | - | 111.0 | 4.0 | 14.3 | 111.0 | 4.0 | 14.3 |
Drilling Results
Haoma
FIGURE 2Haoma long sectionClick image to enlarge
At depth below the Christmas Flats resource, underground drilling from the Daisy Milano decline has encountered multiple high grade gold intersections consistent with the interpreted down-plunge extensions of the historically exploited Haoma, Austin, and Maranoa lodes.
These results confirm that the high grade Haoma structure extends across the lease boundary that previously restricted mining efforts. The company is now positioned to access these lodes from the Daisy Milano decline, just 200 lateral metres to the east. All of these lodes are open down plunge, and options are currently being assessed to develop them.
The company will calculate a resource for Haoma underground in due course.
Caledonian
Figure 3Long section view of results from recent drilling in the Caledonian areaClick image to enlarge
The Caledonian trend is located 200 metres from Silver Lake's existing underground operation at Daisy Milano.
Surface drilling at the Caledonian project has focussed on following up historical drilling and workings. A 15 drillhole programme consisting of eight RC holes and seven diamond holes showed that the Caledonian area had continuity along strike to the south and down dip (see Figure 3). Results from this programme and historical data will now be used to undertake a resource calculation and develop a conceptual mine design.
Back to Top
