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Castlemaine Block

PL 2029 is located in western Kerry with the village of Castlemaine located at the centre of the licence. The general region, encompassing Castlemaine, Castleisland and Tralee, was considered prospective for Waulsortian Reef hosted Zinc / Lead mineralisation and has not been intensively explored using modern techniques. From the interpretation of regional geophysical data, it is considered to lie on the western extension of the Rathdowney Trend. Historic mining of veins of argentiferous galena had been recorded at Annagh and Meanus townlands approximately 1km north of Castlemaine. The records indicated this mineralisation occurred as steeply dipping lodes of calcite, quartz and galena hosted by Waulsortian Reef.

Hammer prospecting was completed over the area around the old Annagh and Meanus workings by Noranda. The objective of this work was to check for evidence of any zinc mineralisation associated with the galena, which is reported as the main ore mineral. Eight mineralised float boulders were found with significant high grade sphalerite or galena mineralisation. Two boulders contained galena only, one associated with coarse white calcite and the other with dolomitised Reef. The remaining six boulders were of very high grade, coarsely crystalline, red/brown sphalerite, visual estimate > 30% Zinc. Noranda drilled one diamond drillhole to the south of the old workings. This was a vertical hole designed to intersect the base of the Waulsortian Reef away from the workings to test for stratabound, base of Reef, massive sulphides similar to Lisheen/Silvermines. Due to an under powered rig and some ground subsidence at the drill site this hole was abandoned at a depth of 375m, before the base of Waulsortian Reef had been intersected. The hole did intersect some very thick zones (between 30 and 38m thick) of coarsely crystalline calcite veining.

The target in this area is to simply test the lateral extent of the Annagh/Meanus mineralisation. This zone of mineralisation is most likely structurally controlled, once the strike extent has been defined then the objective would be to test for any stratiform Waulsortian Reef hosted massive sulphides controlled by this structure. (Belmore Resources encountered a similar scenario when exploring at the Kilbricken, Supra Reef hosted, lead mine in County Clare.

Two diamond drillholes were completed on this licence during the autumn of 2009. The target was for large, high grade, flat lying, and stratiform massive sulphide bodies hosted by brecciated Waulsortian Reef. The stratigraphic position of the target is within the region immediately above the basal Reef / ABL contact. Both holes were somewhat disappointing in mineralisation with only trace pyrite in the subreef.