JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed explorer Pioneer Resources has increased the size of its flagship Lignum Dam gold project, in Western Australia, by more than 50% after acquiring over 250 km² of highly prospective tenements.

The new prospective tenements span from the Lignum Dam project to the five-million ounce Paddington gold operation, owned by gold-miner Norton Gold Fields.

Pioneer has identified a rotary air blast (RAB) gold anomaly that extended from the Golden Cities and Federal Mines, which were located within 2 km to the south of the newly acquired ground.  This anomaly extended at least 6 km into the newly acquired tenement package.

Pioneer MD David Crook noted on Thursday that the new gold targets form an important addition to the emerging Lignum Dam gold project.

“Mineralisation styles are similar between project areas, and analogous to the nearby Golden Cities and Federal Mines, however drilling density for Golden Cities North is sparse compared to Lignum Dam,” he said.

Pioneer is currently drilling at Lignum Dam, and is planning to start a close-spaced RAB drilling programme at Golden Cities North in June, to better identify reverse circulation drilling targets for testing later in 2010.

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