Battler takes shape for Southern Cross

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Southern Cross Goldfields told the Australian Securities Exchange that it has completed in-fill and extensional RC and diamond drilling undertaken at the Battler gold deposit in Western Australia.

It also said that he drilling has reinforced the Battler deposit’s potential to become a high-grade feed source for the company’s proposed 400,000 tonnes per annum modular gold plant at Marda.

Additional metallurgical testwork undertaken by Southern Cross has demonstrated overall gold recoveries in the mid-90%’s with gravity recoveries of up to 60%.

The company is continuing with drilling at the deposit in order to identify high-grade mineralisation within the overall mineralised envelope of the Battler Splay and Footwall zones.

Recent diamond drilling results from Battler include:
 
– 0.6 metres at 232 grams per tonne gold from 100m;

– 5.1m at 8.2 g/t gold, including 2.5m at 11.0 g/t gold from 113m; and
 
– 2.5m at 6.3 g/t gold, including. 1.5m at 10.0 g/t gold from 107m.

Battler is located 15 kilometres south of Southern Cross in Western Australia. The company is currently conducting a Feasibility Study into the establishment of a 400,000tpa modular gold plant at Marda to treat ore from its Marda and Southern Cross deposits.

Southern Cross Goldfields managing director Glenn Jardine said the identification of high-grade mineralisation at Battler provided the opportunity to significantly enhance the company’s previous production base case at Marda.

“The potential to extract higher grade mineralization would make a significant difference to the attractiveness of the deposit from a number of perspectives,” Jardine said in the company’s ASX announcement.

“The deposit remains open along strike and at depth. Drilling has also identified the potential to extract other pockets of high-grade mineralization in addition to the main Splay/Footwall zone. Structural data from the recent diamond drilling program will be used to improve the interpretation of the deposit and to identify new drill targets.”