Cracow exploration
Exploration of the Cracow Goldfield is conducted by Newcrest on behalf of the Cracow Joint Venture (CJV).
The Cracow Goldfield has produced over 1,100,000 ounces of gold since 1932. The majority of this has been from the Golden Mile Fault, a vein structure which contained the Golden Plateau shoot.
The CJV is developing the Royal, Crown and Sovereign shoots on the Western Vein Structure. This structure is parallel to the Golden Mile Fault and is partially obscured by younger sedimentary rocks. The recently discovered Kilkenny structure is located on the western side of this zone.
Recent exploration at Cracow has been focused on the drilling of a significant zone of mineralisation along the Kilkenny structure. There also has been drilling of the Sovereign, Roses Pride and Empire shoots.
Drilling of the Kilkenny structure defined two steeply plunging shoots of epithermal gold mineralisation. Gold is hosted within a lode structure similar to the Crown and Sovereign shoots. Newcrest has calculated an inferred resource for Kilkenny (based on a cut off grade of 2.3 g/t gold) as follows:
Kilkenny Inferred Resource (100%)
| Million tonnes | 0.9 |
| Grade (g/t) | 7.1 |
| Ounces | 200,000 |
The competent persons report is on the resources and reserves page.
Recent drilling has produced significant intercepts from the Kilkenny structure, south of the resource and additional resource potential exists within the Roses Pride, Empire, Phoenix, and Stirling vein structures. In addition geophysical evidence indicates the projection of the western vein structures to the north and south of the drilled areas represents an outstanding conceptual target for a repeat of the gold endowment so far identified within the Cracow Goldfield.
Drilling has commenced within these conceptual target areas to initially identify “fertile structures” that will, if successful, be followed up with infill and deeper drilling, targeting individual ore shoots.