Case Study Auger Drilling in Covered Gold Exploration Great Boulder Resources – Side Well Project, Western Australia
1. Project Overview
Project: Side Well Gold Project Operator: Great Boulder Resources Location: ~100 km south of Meekatharra, WA Geological Setting: Archaean greenstone belt, Yilgarn Craton Current Resource: ~668,000 oz @ 2.8 g/t Au Side Well Auger Case Study
The Side Well project sits within a structurally controlled gold system typical of the Murchison region. While geology was favourable, much of the prospective stratigraphy was masked by:
- Shallow transported cover
- Cemented Wiluna Hardpan
- Suppressed vertical geochemical dispersion
Conventional soil sampling had limited effectiveness. The exploration team required a method that could penetrate cover while remaining cost-efficient over large tenement areas.
2. The Exploration Problem
In covered terranes, the key challenge is not identifying structures — it is detecting geochemical expression through cover.
At Side Well:
- Hardpan limited surface gold dispersion
- Soil anomalies were weak and discontinuous
- Large areas required systematic screening
- Aircore-only reconnaissance would have been capital intensive
The question became:
How do you systematically test large covered areas before committing to deeper drilling?
3. The Auger Strategy
Great Boulder implemented a staged auger drilling program as the first-pass filter.
Program Design
- Initial grid: 400 m line spacing
- Sample spacing: 50 m along line
- Infill: 200 m line spacing over anomalous corridors Side Well Auger Case Study
- Total samples in key areas: >1,300 Side Well Auger Case Study
- Typical depth: 2–6 metres, targeting regolith–bedrock interface Side Well Auger Case Study
The objective was not depth. The objective was representative geochemistry.
By drilling through transported cover and hardpan into upper saprolite, the team accessed material more likely to reflect underlying mineralisation.
4. Geochemical Methodology
Samples were analysed for:
- Gold (Au)
- Pathfinder elements including arsenic and others Side Well Auger Case Study
This multi-element approach allowed:
- Better discrimination between real systems and noise
- Improved structural vectoring
- Ranking of anomalies before escalation
Auger results were integrated with:
- Aeromagnetic interpretation
- Structural mapping
- Induced Polarisation (IP) geophysics
- Historical drill data Side Well Auger Case Study
This integration step is critical. Auger data alone is screening; combined datasets create drill targets.
5. Key Results
Tal Val Area (Southern Corridor)
- Gold anomalies up to 1.8 km strike length Side Well Auger Case Study
- Peak auger values exceeding 1 g/t Au Side Well Auger Case Study
- Strong structural alignment with interpreted shear zones
These are significant results for shallow geochemical drilling in hardpan terrain.
The anomalies were coherent — not isolated spikes — and justified escalation.
Eastern Corridor
Auger drilling played a key role in identifying prospects including:
- Ironbark
- Saltbush
- Side Well South Side Well Auger Case Study
These prospects later contributed to the project’s defined mineral resource.
In other words:
Auger anomalies converted into drilled gold systems.
6. Escalation Pathway
The workflow followed a disciplined progression:
- Regional auger grid
- Infill auger refinement
- Aircore confirmation
- RC drilling
- Diamond drilling
- Resource definition Side Well Auger Case Study
This staged pipeline reduced:
- Unnecessary RC drilling
- Capital exposure at early stages
- Random step-out programs
For exploration managers, this is the real value — capital efficiency.
7. Why Auger Worked at Side Well
Technical Factors
- Penetrated hardpan barrier
- Sampled closer to weathered bedrock
- Generated coherent anomalies
- Enabled multi-element vectoring
Operational Factors
- Low cost per sample
- Rapid coverage of large land areas
- Minimal environmental footprint
- Scalable grid refinement
8. Lessons for Exploration Teams
For Exploration Managers
- Insert a structured auger phase in covered terrains
- Design grid spacing strategically (400 m → 200 m infill)
- Combine geochemistry with geophysics before escalating
For Geologists
- Target the regolith–bedrock interface
- Use pathfinders, not gold alone
- Look for coherent trends, not isolated highs
For Drilling Contractors
- Vehicle-mounted auger systems are strategic tools in WA gold exploration
- Early-stage auger success often leads to downstream aircore and RC demand
- Auger programs can underpin multi-year drilling pipelines
9. Industry Implications
The Side Well case confirms:
In covered Archaean terranes, auger drilling is not a secondary tool — it is a structured screening mechanism that can lead directly to resource growth.
The contribution of auger-defined anomalies to a 668,000 oz resource base Side Well Auger Case Study demonstrates its role in disciplined exploration.
10. Conclusion
At Side Well, auger drilling:
- Overcame hardpan limitations
- Defined kilometre-scale gold anomalies
- Built a prioritised target pipeline
- Contributed directly to discovery and resource expansion
The case demonstrates that in covered gold terranes, the success sequence is:
Sample smart → Refine → Confirm → Escalate
Not the other way around.
If you are planning exploration in transported cover environments and would like to showcase your case study on MyDrill, contact info@mydrill.com.au.
MyDrill exists to document real field examples that help the industry drill smarter — not just deeper.
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