Junior companies are continuing to explore projects in the Solomon Islands, an archipelago in the South Pacific in which gold and copper-gold porphyry systems appear to be the main exploration targets.
Montreal-based Western Pacific Gold (WPI-A) is continuing a mapping, trenching and sampling program aimed at defining drill targets at its Mbetilonga Basin project. Work is focused on the Hambusimaloso copper anomaly, where high-grade results of up to 12.58% copper have been obtained from grab samples. The anomaly is situated in altered volcanic agglomerate on the western side of the Mbetilonga Basin. Previous trenching by the company revealed zones up to 25 metres long grading 0.5% copper.
Western Pacific is targeting a large copper porphyry system beneath the western side of the Mbetilonga Basin. Recent field work has delineated broad zones of fractured and mineralized andesite porphyries that the company believes to be related to a concealed porphyry system.
Elsewhere in the Solomons, Vancouver-based Leigh Resource (LCR-V) recently started a follow-up exploration program to identify possible extensions of the Tango porphyry copper-gold system on its prospecting licence on Vangunu Island.
The licence contains both porphyry copper-gold mineralization and structurally controlled epithermal gold mineralization. Previous drilling within the Tango system returned intersections of 135 metres of 0.43 gram gold per tonne and 0.11% copper and 41.9 metres of 0.81 gram gold and 0.14% copper. Numerous geophysical anomalies have been identified within the system that are coincident with strong copper and gold soil anomalies.
This year’s program will test for extensions of the porphyry system along a related fault structure. It will include geological mapping, trenching and more geophysical surveys.
Leigh recently dropped its projects in Ghana, West Africa, in order to concentrate on its two prospecting licences in the Solomon Islands. The junior intends to evaluate new projects and opportunities, with the goal of expanding its focus in the region.
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