The flagship Paterson Project combines favourable geology, walk-up drill targets, Telfer and Havieron analogues and untested structural positions.
Paterson comprises five (5) tenements (E45/5122, 4928, 6134, 4512 & 4815) spread across 676km2 being acquired from Greatland Resources (ASX:GGP). These comprise Black Hills, Paterson Range East, Basel and Budjidowns.
An additional 998km2 of tenure has been accumulated by Aventine Resources at Paterson South and Mt Cecelia.
Paterson South comprises nine (9) tenements granted (E45/4847 & E45/5271) and in application (E45/7247, 7248, 7249, 7250, 7251, 7252 & 7254).
Mt Cecilia (E45/5045) is a single 134km2 tenement located directly west of Rio Tinto’s Winu Copper Project on the boundary of the Paterson Province and East Pilbara. It is being acquired from West Wits Mining (ASX:WWI).
Read on for further information on our Paterson Project target areas.
One of the most exciting and prospective areas within the Paterson Project, Black Hills (E45/6134 & E45/4512) sits in a favourable structural setting on the same structure as Minyari Gold Deposit. The prospect is located 5km from the Havieron-Telfer haul road.
The system shows a Telfer-style saddle reef mineralization and may host vertical stockwork corridors. It has been subject to historical drilling focused on shallow targets, with previous key intercepts including:
Rock chips of grade up to 82g/t from quarts veins have been recovered at Black Hills, along with historical prospectors also recovering gold nuggets.
Untested shallow mineralisation is to be followed up along with deeper untested targets.
Initial desktop and historical analysis has identified anomalous gold geochemistry is emerging over felsic intrusion-sediment-mafic contacts at Paterson Range East (E45-4928).
The setting suits sediment-hosted, structurally controlled and intrusion-related gold-copper mineralization. The area’s deeper structural setting includes multiple thrusts, a major anticline hinge, and cross faulting, indicating a target styl that matches Minyari Dome and Black Hills analogues.
Paterson Range East is underexplored with residual exploration potential. Only a handful of drillholes test targets on this tenement. However previous work has uncovered:
Sitting in close proximity to the north-east of Minyari Dome, Basel (E45-5122) remains lightly tested and highly prospective.
Aventine’s technical observations to date include:
Budjidowns (E45-4815) adjoins and sits directly south of Paterson Range East, and is prospective for Havieron-style mineralisation.
Gravity survey activity and limited drilling have previously been conducted across three targets – Atlantis, Decka and Stingray. While no significant intercept was recorded at Stingray, two holes drilled at Atlantis returned results including 3m @ 0.52g/t. These results are being re-assessed in the context of better understanding cover depth (100m – 300m).
Further targeting will be underpinned by magnetic and geophysics-led definition, which will help rank, prioritise and drill the best anomalies.
Being acquired from West Wits Mining (ASX:WWI), Mt Cecilia is a single 134km2 tenement (E45/5045), located approximately 75 km west of Rio Tinto’s Winu-Ngapakarra copper-gold deposit.
It is considered an exploration play under thin cover with walk-up drill targets following earlier success.
Geophysically and geochemically driven target definition across tenement has been conducted historically. A SkyTEM heliborne electromagnetic survey flown by Rio Tinto in 2020 identified several bedrock conductors. Four targets were followed up with ground EM surveys (moving loop) in 2021 at MC1, SGC2 to SGC4. Target MC1 had the highest conductance (4000 to 5000 Seimens) and Rio Tinto drill tested the target in 2022 with four RC holes (1,036m) along two sections.
The holes failed and did not effectively test target, the others intersected broad zones of mineralisation:
