Iceni Gold Limited is scheduling a ~7,000-metre reverse circulation drilling campaign across four priority targets at the Everleigh project, located within the 14 Mile Well Gold Project in Western Australia.

The initial stage one program consists of 50 priority one holes covering 7,000 metres and is scheduled to begin in October, pending a heritage survey and site preparation. A potential stage two follow-up program comprising 78 priority two holes for an additional 11,700 metres has been defined to test successful targets, with assay results anticipated in December.

The program is funded through a $10 million option and joint venture agreement with Gold Fields Australia, requiring Gold Fields to spend a minimum of $1.5 million within two years. The agreement covers a ~48km² tenement package at Everleigh, allowing Iceni to accelerate work while focusing its ongoing exploration on 100%-held non-JV tenements across the wider 14 Mile Well project. Iceni serves as the initial manager during the earn-in phase.

“We are excited to be accelerating exploration at Everleigh in partnership with Gold Fields, with scheduling underway for the first phase of a major ~7,000m RC drill program scheduled to commence in October. This campaign is a culmination of Iceni's systematic exploration approach, which has identified a series of priority targets under cover across this highly prospective part of the 14 Mile Well Gold Project.” — Wade Johnson, Managing Director

Drilling will target the ~5-kilometre Bellbird fractionated dolerite sill, which hosts the Wild West trend, including the Rio Bravo, Sundance and High Noon anomalies. Exploration targeting will apply a Mt Charlotte-style model focusing on structural disruptions, folding and faulting that may have concentrated mineralised stockwork veining.

Real-time portable X-ray fluorescence geochemistry tracking copper and vanadium will be used during drilling to characterise fractionation and determine stratigraphic younging within the Bellbird Dolerite, providing vectors toward prospective horizons analogous to Kalgoorlie's Golden Mile Dolerite.

“The ~5km Bellbird fractionated dolerite represents the primary target of the Farm-In and hosts the recently defined Wild West Trend. Our exploration model draws on the characteristics of major dolerite-hosted gold systems of the Eastern Goldfields, targeting favourable parts of the dolerite where folding, faulting and structural disruptions may have focused mineralising fluids and developed stockwork veining systems.” — Wade Johnson, Managing Director

Stage two drilling is expected to commence subject to results from the initial phase.

Read the full announcement: Commencement of Gold Fields Everleigh Farm In