PLC Resources has begun a two-stage satellite geo-spectral survey across the Abbotts Gold Project in Western Australia’s Murchison region.

The project area spans around 205km² and includes four tenements held by the company.

The survey, conducted by Geo Spectra, aims to map alteration minerals and geological structures that may be linked to orogenic gold mineralisation in the area.

Stage one of the programme involves regional screening using hyperspectral EnMAP imagery and multispectral ASTER and Sentinel-2 satellite data.

This phase is intended to identify minerals and structural features over both the project site and an additional 300km² of surrounding land.

Key targets include the mapping of iron oxides, clay minerals, sulphates, silicification and fine-scale structural controls.

The use of digital elevation models and high-resolution data will support the identification of faults and shears potentially controlling mineralisation.

Stage two will use high-resolution WorldView-3 satellite imagery to further investigate areas identified during the initial phase.

This stage will provide data at up to 31cm resolution, focusing on refining and ranking specific targets.

The company expects to receive results, including a prioritised target map, within four to six weeks.

Executive director Simon Phillips said: “This survey gives us a project-wide view of Abbotts that we can’t get from the ground alone.

“Hyperspectral and high-resolution satellite data can help map alteration minerals and fine-scale structures that may be associated with gold mineralisation, across all four of our tenements at once.

“Combining our recent airborne magnetic success with previous high-grade soil sampling and the upcoming drilling results at Rochefort, our future field and air core drilling programmes can be focused on the strongest targets.”

The survey builds upon previous work at Abbotts, such as a high-resolution airborne magnetic survey and recent reverse circulation drilling at the Rochefort Gold Prospect, for which assay results are pending.

PLC Resources stated that integrating survey data with existing geological, geophysical and geochemical information will assist in ranking targets for future fieldwork and air core drilling, once assay and satellite results have been fully analysed.

The company plans to focus subsequent exploration on areas showing the strongest mineral alteration and structural features, with several programmes of work already approved for follow-up drilling.