Blackham Resources Reserve Drilling Continues to Encounter Shallow Mineralisation
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Blackham Resources (ASX: BLK) released an update on progress of Reserve definition drilling completed on the East and West lodes at the company’s Matilda/Wiluna gold operation in Western Australia.
Blackham Resources explained the results from the drilling will be used as the basis for a Resource and Reserve update in support of the project’s Stage 2 expansion plans.
A Preliminary Expansion Study released in May 2017, confirmed the ability to grow production beyond 200,000 ounces per annum at the Matilda/Wiluna gold operation.
Blackham said the infill drilling at the East and West lodes had continued to confirm shallow, high-grade remnant mineralisation, particularly adjacent to and between historical stopes (mined 1930’s to 1950’s), which the company expects to fall within open pit cut-backs.
The company has interpreted the recent drill results to indicate pit cut backs are likely to extend further to the north and south.
Drilling at the southern end of the West Lode intersected a previously unknown high-grade shoot with results (downhole widths quoted) including:
WURC0312
WUDD0016
15.4m at 21.04g/t gold from 156.6m (324g/m); and
WURC0313
21m at 5.2g/t gold from 210m and 10m at 5.55g/t gold from 275m (165g/m).
Drilling carried out in the Central Lodes, linking the East and West lodes, also intersected further broad, shallow, potentially economic mineralisation which currently sits outside the optimised pit shells.
“The high-grade East and West lode drill results combined with the broad zones of mineralisation with the Central Zone, are likely to extend the planned East West PES pits significantly further north towards North pit,” Blackham Resources explained in its ASX announcement.
“All the mineralisation in the Central Zone is outside the current Mineral Resource and will be included in the next resource update.”
Highlights from the shallow Central Lodes include (downhole widths quoted):
WURC0236
35m at 3.53g/t gold from 18m, including 4m at 9.83g/t gold from 38m and 2m at 7.33g/t gold from 47m (124g/m);
WURC0277
38m at 2.34g/t gold from 4m, including 8m at 5.94 g/t from 24m (89g/m);
WURC0475
10m at 3.73g/t gold from 10m, including 3m at 8.8g/t gold from 11m (37g/m);
WURC0471
12m at 1.41g/t gold from 4m and 11m at 2.25g/t gold from 31m (17g/m); and
WURC0476
10m at 1.62g/t gold from 17m, including 1m at 7.62g/t gold from 22m (16g/m).
“The previous successful drilling which extended the West Lode mineralisation further north combined with the shallow mineralisation in the Central Lode between West and North pits is likely to help these pits merge together,” Blackham said.
Email: info@blackhamresources.com.au
Website: www.blackhamresources.com.au