The Kilmallock Project - Ireland
The Kilmallock licence block comprises of three contiguous prospecting licence areas located in the highly prospective Limerick Basin, in the southwest of the Republic of Ireland, where significant, high-grade zinc, lead, silver and copper mineralisation has been discovered at Pallas Green, Stonepark, Gortdrum, Carrickittle and Ballywire.
The licences are located along the southwestern extension of the Rathdowney Mineralising Trend about 20km South of the Pallas Green Zn / Pb Deposit (the largest undeveloped deposit in Ireland), 25km southwest from the Gortdrum Cu/Ag Deposit and 8km along strike from Group Eleven’s exciting Ballywire project, where a significant, high-grade zinc, lead, copper silver massive sulphide deposit that remains open has been recently discovered and is being aggressively explored with multiple drilling rigs operating. Ballywire has the same geology and structural setting as Kilmallock.
The licences issued were primarily for base metals (zinc, lead and copper), barytes (or barite), silver and gold. The licences last until August 2026, when they can be renewed for an extra six years subject to the minimum spend of €37,000 per licence being achieved.
The Kilmallock block PLAs cover an area of 136.76 km2 and are situated within County Limerick. The block is located 185 km southwest of Dublin, 30 km due south from the city of Limerick, and Kilmallock is the largest settlement within the block of PLAs. The Block is served by an extensive network of surrounding motorways (M7 and M8), and national roads (N20 and N24), with access to the individual licences by a series of rural roads, e.g., R512, R515 and R518. An operating railway line (Dublin to Cork) runs through the centre of the licence block. Land use is dominated by pastureland for grazing of sheep, cattle and horses.
The licences are in a region with an extensive, well developed, Waulsortian Reef host lithology, highly analogous to Pallas Green. Primary, base of Waulsortian Reef hosted, massive sulphide mineralisation was discovered by Boliden at Bulgaden using Stratigraphic Diamond Drilling, including:
3249-14: 6.00m, grading 10.43% Zn / 1.78% Pb
3249-16: 12.00m, grading 4.29% Zn / 0.91% Pb / 23.55 g/t Ag
3249-18: 2.40m, grading 12.76% Zn / 2.0% Pb / 34.4 g/t Ag
3249-19: 5.30m, grading 9.55% Zn / 2.09% Pb / 27.26 g/t Ag
3249-20: 3.80m, grading 14.66% Zn / 4.83% Pb / 133.79 g/t Ag
3249-24: 10.50m, grading 8.34% Zn / 1.52% Pb / 61.98 g/t Ag (including 3.40m grading 20.62% Zn / 3.43% Pb)
3249-25: 4.50m grading 16.53% Zn / 1.25% Pb / 57.21 g/t Ag
The drilling, along with results from an Airborne Geophysical Survey (Magnetics, EM and Radiometrics), confirm the prospectivity of the licence area and have been used to develop a robust geological and structural model. Recent IP and Gravity Surveying is enhancing geological and structural modelling and drilling target identification.
A total of 174 gravity stations were surveyed in July 2024 to both extend and enhance the gravity coverage at Kilmallock to a nominal density of 250 x 250m across the area.
The processing / modelling of the data has identified five discrete, strongly anomalous zones with marked positive gravity responses located in regions underlain by prospective stratigraphy and structure.
A comparison of this gravity survey with the Group Eleven Resources survey at the nearby Ballywire zinc / lead / silver deposit confirms that they are strongly analogous. Group Eleven Resources has been using their gravity model to help target their ongoing successful drilling campaign.
