Taruga unveils cracking polymetallic rock chips in new Gascoyne play

Taruga Minerals has ripped the wrapping off a suite of impressive rock chip assays at its new Thowagee polymetallic project in Western Australia’s mineral-rich Gascoyne region.

The highlight results reel, which includes a head-turning 26.3 per cent lead and 113 grams per tonne (g/t) silver, has confirmed a juicy, outcropping mixed metal cocktail of high-grade lead, silver, zinc, copper and gold.

A second rock chip wasn’t far behind, coughing up 19.7 per cent lead, 130g/t silver, 3.4 per cent copper and a tasty 0.1g/t gold.

Another standout hit came in with 12.9 per cent lead, 103g/t silver, 0.8 per cent zinc and nearly a gram per tonne of gold from altered schist adjacent to a historical quartz vein working.

The company’s latest surface findings - many of which show potentially economic grades - have backed up historical accounts of rich polymetallic veins.

Taruga has now mapped out two distinct polymetallic trends - one stretching 800 metres to the north-northeast and the other running 350m north-northwest and open in multiple directions.

Combining these trends with the mineralised schist wall rocks of the old timers’ workings provides mounting evidence of a more expansive system than Taruga initially thought.

The boots-on-ground program has already unearthed more historical workings than expected and the discovery of high-grade outcropping rock appears to have broadened the game plan beyond just high-grade veins.

Management says it seems a classic case of a heavily mineralised alteration halo stealing the spotlight from the host.

These assay results are exceptional, and the polymetallic nature of the high-value metals present is also significant.

Ongoing exploration at site is set for a deep dive with a geochemical study, more rock chips and high-tech geophysical surveys to come. The company has radiometrics and magnetics on the radar, aiming to trace the elusive shear zones and mineralised pathways that could be the key to unlocking any possible treasures that lie beneath.

Armed with the findings, Taruga is now set to trigger an option to buy the Thowagee licence from privateer Western Silver. The company has already forked out $15,000 for the option fee but will take full ownership when a further $85,000 worth of Taruga scrip has been handed over to the vendor.

The granted licence slots in perfectly with Taruga’s surrounding applications and wraps around its freshly pegged Uaroo West and East projects, which includes the legendary Uaroo-Hill mine.

Back in the 1950s, miners at Uaroo-Hill hauled out nearly 20 tonnes of ore packing an eye-watering 77.7 per cent lead and 301g/t silver. The nearby Donelly-Kooline site delivered similarly jaw-dropping grades of 55.8 per cent lead and 129g/t silver from shallow digs.

Rock chips from a sheared banded iron formation slicing through Uaroo West also returned gold grades as high as 1.1g/t, hinting at a golden opportunity hiding in plain sight.

Despite the area’s rich mineral history, neither Uaroo West nor East has ever been pierced by a drill hole targeting base or precious metals.

By adding Thowagee to its existing portfolio, Taruga has created a dominant landholding in the region of more than 416 square kilometres across a 20km wide stretch.

The early Thowagee numbers are the kind that get explorers circling and the punters leaning in. With more assays in the pipeline and a growing patchwork of mineralised zones now on the radar, Taruga could possibly be on to one of the Gascoyne’s more compelling polymetallic plays in recent years.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@wanews.com.au