Blackham Resources kicks off Republic Reef drilling

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Blackham Resources (ASX: BLK) has welcomed a second RC drilling rig to the company’s Matilda gold project in Western Australia.

The rig will be responsible for drilling of an initial 3 hole (1,300 metre) program aimed at following up on seven historical holes to be carried out at the Republic quartz reef.

Although the historical holes did encounter mineralisation they were designed to target deeper sulphide mineralisation on the East Lode Fault rather than target the Republic Reef.

The Republic Reef sits 150 metres off the existing Golden Age underground development and was previously mined as a small open cut at surface.

The free milling Republic Reef is located in a hanging wall parallel to the Golden Age Reef, which had a gold endowment of 280,000 ounces.

The Republic Reef has 800m of strike, 600m of dip and an average drill composite grade of 7.1 grams per tonne gold.

Blackham said the upcoming drilling is in line with the company’s focus on free-milling gold targets and resources within open pit or shallow underground depths that are close to the Wiluna plant and infrastructure and are capable of being bought into the front of the mine plan.

“The Republic Reef is a high priority drill target as if successful it could allow us to bring another high-grade free milling feedstock into the mine plan,” Blackham Resources managing director Bryan Dixon said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“The historical drilling suggests it is a high grade reef similar to Golden Age, which produced 160,000 ounces at 9 grams per tonne gold.

“If the drilling is successful the existing underground development would allow this to be bought into the mine plan quickly.

“These high-grade reefs allow us to significantly increase the average grade processed through the plant.”

Email: info@blackamresources.com.au

Website: www.blackamresources.com.au