Drilling Commenced at Viani in Fiji

By Finance News On Dec 10, 2024

Alice Queen Limited (ASX:AQX) (“Alice Queen” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that drilling has commenced at its 100% owned Viani Project in Vanua Levu, Fiji (see Image 1). The initial planned three-hole diamond drilling program will test for high-grade epithermal gold-style mineralisation intersected at the Viani Project by historic drilling.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Phase 1, three-hole diamond drilling program has commenced at the Viani Project, Fiji and will test for extensions to the quartz vein gold mineralisation at depth.
Phase 1 is expected to be completed in early 2025, with plans for additional drilling under the same program dependent on the initial results
The Viani Project (SPL1513) covers an area of approximately 200km2 and is largely underexplored.
At the Dakuniba prospect within Viani, low sulphidation epithermal high-grade gold mineralisation has been mapped over 3km strike length.
Diamond drilling completed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 1995 to 1997 intersected high-grade gold in low sulphidation epithermal quartz veins, including 0.6m @ 27.6 g/t Au.

Alice Queen’s Managing Director, Andrew Buxton said,

With drilling underway, Alice Queen is positioned to test the epithermal gold-style mineralisation identified in historic drilling at the Viani Project. Weather permitting, we anticipate completing the Phase 1, three-hole diamond drilling program in early 2025. Following this, our exploration team will mobilise the drill rig to the Sabeto Project in Fiji to maintain the momentum of this campaign. To deliver timely results to shareholders, we intend to accelerate the analysis of the drill core at ALS Brisbane.”

Image 1 – Diamond drilling at Viani

Details

Geology

The geology of the Viani Project (SPL 1513) comprises olivine basalts and volcaniclastics of the Natewa Volcanic Group which are intruded by andesite sills and dykes. In the 1940s, gold mineralisation was found by local prospectors near the village of Dakuniba. At Dakuniba, low sulphidation style epithermal gold occurs in quartz veins, and silicified rocks along a 3km long NE trending zone.

In 1995-1997, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) drilled six diamond holes at Dakuniba and intersected high-grade gold in chalcedonic, crustiform, colloform banded quartz veins at depths of 50m to 100m below surface (i.e. MJVFV-5 intersected 2.2m @ 11.3 g/t Au, incl 0.6m @ 27.6 g/t Au at 121m downhole). This high-grade gold mineralisation is open in all directions.

Proposed Drill program

The initial Phase 1 drill program at Viani (see Table 1) will comprise three diamond drillholes designed to test continuity to the epithermal gold mineralisation previously intersected in JICA drillhole MJVFV- 5 (2.2m @ 11.3 g/t Au) (see Figure 2). The drilling will test for extensions to the gold mineralisation at depth and along strike.

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