Wingate Project
Wingate Project (100% lpm)
A Potentially Very Large Gold System
The Wingate Project tenement package covers 465 km² and is situated 150 km south of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia. It includes three granted tenements (EL31132, EL 34006 and EL 34007) on the western margin of the central domain of the Pine Creek Orogen (PCO).
A detailed review of the Wingate Project’s gold potential, completed prior to the end of the CY24 field season, highlighted a strong opportunity to define significant gold mineralisation in the historically worked yet underexplored Fletchers Gully goldfield.
The goldfield is defined by a large gold-in-soil anomaly (>40 ppb), extending over 1,500 metres along the axial trace of the Muldiva Anticline and up to 450 metres wide, hosting several lines of historical workings. Drilling has intersected significant gold zones beneath these workings, confirming the area’s prospectivity, including:
- 14m at 0.94 g/t Au from 24m (FG17)
- 10m at 2.28 g/t Au from 46m (FG19)
- 3m at 10.1 g/t Au from 62m (FP1)
- 15m at 0.78 g/t Au (FP2)
Gold is associated with zones of low-grade copper mineralisation (up to 0.52% over 2m).
A detailed structural review has identified several new, immediate drill targets along strike from previous intersections, as well as potential for broader regional expansion.
Background
Historic soil geochemistry programs (assayed for gold and arsenic) have defined a significant gold system across a strike length of more than 1,500 metres and a width of up to 450 metres. The anomalous zone (defined by a +40 ppb gold-in-soil contour, with a maximum of 2,900 ppb) trends north-west, following the Muldiva Anticline’s axial trace. Its full extent remains undefined due to alluvial cover preventing further soil grid surveys to the northwest and southeast.
Geological mapping has defined at least three north-westerly-trending mineralised zones:
- The New Show Line
- The Pang Quees/Bigmouth Line
- The Grants/Boiler Line
These correspond with distinct siltstone/shale (variably carbonaceous) horizons separated by silicified barren arenite units on the north-eastern flank of the anticline.
The Pine Creek Orogen has a long history of gold production spanning more than 150 years, with over 4 million ounces produced. Most deposits are orogenic gold systems, commonly hosted in quartz veins, lodes, sheeted veins, stockworks, and saddle reefs—typically associated with anticlinal traps and in proximity to intrusive granites.
The Fletchers Gully goldfield comprises several historical high-grade gold workings (Pang Quees, Grants, Bigmouths, Boiler), which were actively mined between 1905 and 1935, yielding approximately 2,500 ounces of gold at grades exceeding 2 oz/t. These workings are hosted within the Proterozoic Burrell Creek Formation of the Finniss River Group (Pine Creek Orogen) and lie broadly along the Muldiva Anticline’s axial trace, adjacent to the Allia Granite.
Gold occurs in quartz veins or reefs within metamorphosed slate, phyllite, and metaquartzite. The veins are associated with sub-vertical shear zones and low-angle tension gashes, typically thin but ranging from 6 cm to nearly 1 m wide.
The location and geological characteristics of the Fletchers Gully mineralisation align with the key criteria for the classic PCO gold mineralisation model.
Geological Detail
The PCO is a well-exposed Paleoproterozoic inlier and a major metallogenic province containing gold, base metal, and uranium deposits. Most gold deposits are orogenic, typically hosted in quartz-rich structural settings and associated with intrusive granites.
The primary exploration target in the Wingate area is the Early Proterozoic Burrell Creek Formation of the Finniss River Group (Pine Creek Geosyncline sequence), the most widespread unit in the PCO. The Finniss River and South Alligator Groups account for 90% of the PCO’s gold resources, split roughly equally. The Burrell Creek Formation hosts the majority, including the Goodall, Mount Todd, and Union Reefs deposits, along with 49 other recorded occurrences.
The project area straddles the domain boundary between the Litchfield and Central Domains of the PCO along the Giant’s Reef Fault. The Central Domain is currently considered highly prospective for gold, with only a few of the PCO’s 369 known gold occurrences situated outside this zone.
At Wingate, the Burrell Creek Formation hosts the historically productive Fletchers Gully goldfield, located along the axis of the major Muldiva Anticline—highlighting the project area’s significant gold potential. The region has seen limited modern exploration, with the most recent significant programs undertaken between 1989 and 1995. Ongoing work is expected to systematically assess the potential for hosting a small to moderate gold resource.