Red Metal Limited has made a significant initial advancement in pursuing gold potential at its Pardoo project, located within Western Australia's highly prospective Pilbara district. Early drilling activities have uncovered subtle yet encouraging chemical indicators that suggest the possibility of gold mineralisation concealed within deeper basement rocks.
Initial Drilling Reveals Intriguing Geochemical Patterns
The company completed five widely spaced reverse circulation (RC) drill holes, totalling 1,098 metres, across two geophysical magnetic targets known as Pardoo 2 and Pardoo 3. This program aimed to test for Hemi-style gold mineralisation beneath extensive layers of younger sedimentary cover.
While no ore-grade gold was intersected directly within the basement rocks, assay results revealed weakly anomalous gold values in the cover sequences immediately above the basement in all drill holes. This outcome has captured the company's attention as a potential indicator of deeper mineralisation.
Detailed Findings from Pardoo 2 and Pardoo 3
At the Pardoo 2 target, drilling encountered a sequence of mafic and intermediate volcanic rocks with intermittent quartz diorite intrusions, situated below approximately 90 metres of younger sedimentary cover. Although no strongly magnetic rocks were found, leaving the source of the magnetism unresolved, the geochemistry presented a more compelling narrative.
The presence of arsenic and antimony traces - elements commonly associated with gold mineralisation - added intrigue to the findings. Similarly, at Pardoo 3, drilling revealed mafic volcanic rocks, including a magnetic ultramafic horizon beneath about 100 metres of cover, which finally explained the magnetic feature observed.
As with Pardoo 2, basement gold grades at Pardoo 3 were not economically significant, but anomalous gold values were consistently recorded in the sedimentary cover immediately above the basement contact.
Southeast Vectoring Pattern Emerges
A particularly notable observation emerged from both drill traverses: the gold tenor within the cover sequence increased consistently toward the southeast. Red Metal interprets this pattern as potentially providing a geochemical trail that hints at nearby basement-hosted gold mineralisation, rather than representing mineralisation within the cover itself.
Supporting this interpretation, trace element data from the basement rocks show that gold-associated elements arsenic and antimony also increased in concentration running to the southeast. These pathfinder elements are considered particularly relevant in intrusion-related and orogenic geological settings, including those linked to the Hemi structural corridor.
Strategic Geological Positioning
The Pardoo project occupies a strategically important position within the covered extension of the Hemi structural corridor. This region has emerged as one of Australia's most exciting gold provinces following the discovery of the world-class 10-million-ounce Hemi gold deposit, now owned by Northern Star Resources.
The Hemi discovery represents an intrusion-hosted form of gold mineralisation that is new to the Pilbara region. It features a scale of mineralisation not previously encountered in the Mallina Basin, with gold hosted in a series of intrusions associated with stringer- and disseminated-sulphide-rich zones.
Regional magnetic imagery clearly shows a continuation of this structural corridor through the Pardoo tenement, placing Red Metal's ground directly within a highly prospective geological setting. Adding to its geological credentials, the project also sits on the margin between granite intrusions and greenstone rocks within the Mallina Basin.
This geological environment mirrors exactly the same setting that hosts the gold-bearing intrusions of the De Grey Group, providing additional context for the exploration potential.
Future Exploration Directions
Red Metal's interpretation of the assay data suggests that the increasing gold and pathfinder element tenor may be vectoring toward mineralisation developed along the granite-greenstone contact at depth. With these early indicators now identified, management is considering a follow-up exploration program.
This subsequent program would assess gold potential further toward the southeast along a roughly three-kilometre portion of the sheared granite-greenstone contact. Future work is planned to focus on compiling and refining trace-element geochemistry, remodelling magnetic data, and designing targeted drill holes to test the interpreted basement position.
While still in the early stages of exploration, these results have achieved precisely what first-pass drilling is designed to accomplish: reducing geological uncertainty and providing clearer direction for future exploration activities.
Regional Significance and Potential
In a region where subtle geochemical signals have historically preceded major gold discoveries, Red Metal's Pardoo vector could represent an important step toward uncovering concealed Pilbara gold mineralisation. The company's systematic approach to interpreting geochemical data within this prospective geological setting demonstrates methodical exploration strategy.
The combination of strategic land position, encouraging geochemical indicators, and clear geological vectors provides Red Metal with multiple avenues for advancing its understanding of the Pardoo project's gold potential. As exploration continues, these early findings will guide more targeted investigation of what could become a significant gold discovery in Western Australia's mineral-rich Pilbara region.
