THE DRILL SERGEANT: Crusader Resources (ASX: CAS) reported high‐grade results from recent drilling carried out on the Dona Maria prospect, part of the company’s e Juruena project in Central Brazil.

Crusader encountered, what it described as, “a spectacular high‐grade gold intercept, from the latest hole, MD‐09, to be drilled at Dona Maria, which returned:

10 metres at 101 grams per tonne gold from 125m, including:

1m at 65.36g/t gold from 126m;
0.5m at 10.24g/t gold from 127m;
1m at 24.3g/t gold from 131m;
1m at 104g/t gold from 132m; and
0.4m at 2,009g/t gold from 133m.

“We are obviously really excited to get such an extraordinary hit and even more so that it occurs as part of a broad, high‐ grade intercept,” Crusader Resources managing director Rob Smakman said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

The central zone at Dona Maria is proving to be the source of some of the best intercepts in the district and indicates a broad, high‐grade zone that is continuous and relatively close to surface.

“We are confident the results will help achieve our goals of increasing the confidence level and size of the Dona Maria resource.”

The latest results follow on from results Cursader announced in August from hole MD‐06 (up dip of MD‐09) at Dona Maria including:

1.5m at 141g/t gold from 45m
4m at 8g/t gold from 96m, including 1m at 27.99g/t gold; and
4m at 3.98g/t gold from 77m, including 1m at 11.09g/t gold.

Crusader Resources said the central zone of Dona Maria has now returned some of the highest grades of the Juruena district, from both historical drilling as well as results from the company’s current campaign.

Website: www.crusaderresources.com

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Pioneer Resources (ASX: PIO) has kicked off a 5,000 metre RC drilling program, to test lithium targets, at the company’s 100 per cent-held Pioneer Dome project.

The company said the first five holes of nine planned traverses of holes have been completed across the PEG008 target.

All holes are said to have intersected multiple, steeply dipping zones of pegmatite, which is the rock unit Pioneer considers to be prospective for lithium mineralisation.

The first 100 samples are on their way to the laboratory, with results expected to be returned within a three week period, most likely later in September.

Pioneer indicated it would drilling and submission of samples throughout September, with the final assays expected by late October 2016.

The company described the PEG008 target as a 1.7 kilometre-long suite of differentiated pegmatites with a coincident lithium soil geochemistry anomaly.

The drilling will also test targets at PEG001 and PEG002.

Subject to results from the current drilling, Pioneer expects additional RC and diamond core drilling can immediately follow.

“We’re very encouraged with the geology and information gained from the drill holes completed at PEG008 to date, and the company looks forward to providing further updates to the market as the assays and other information comes to hand,” Pioneer Resources managing director David Crook said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

Website: www.pioresources.com.au

THE DRILL SERGEANT: St George Mining (ASX: SGQ) announced the discovery of further massive nickel‐copper sulphides at the Investigators prospect in the company’s Mt Alexander Project in Western Australia.

St George claimed to have hit three further intersections of massive nickel‐copper sulphides from testing separate targets at the Investigators prospect.

MAD37 intersected massive sulphides at 122.5 metres depth testing Anomaly 5 in the western part of the prospect.

MAD38 intersected ultramafic with massive sulphides at very shallow depth of 27.6m testing Anomaly 4 in the central part of Investigators.

MAD40 intersected massive sulphides at 107.85m depth testing for an extension of Anomaly 2 in the central‐eastern part of Investigators.

St George said the massive sulphides intersected in MAD40 demonstrated an average nickel content of 15 per cent nickel (based on field XRF analysis) and includes pentlandite veining.

The company now has downhole EM surveys underway in completed drill holes to identify extensions to known mineralisation and any additional conductive sources.

The company indicated further drilling will be planned to test the extent of the high-grade mineralisation identified at Investigators.

“The multiple intersections of massive sulphides at Investigators, including at very shallow depths, occur over a strike length of 1.3 kilometres and demonstrate an under‐explored nickel‐copper system at Mt Alexander that is growing with every drill program completed by St George,”St George Mining executive chairman John Prineas said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“The new discoveries at Investigators are a major milestone for the Mt Alexander project and further reinforce its status as a significant nickel sulphide project in Western Australia.”

Website: www.stgm.com.au

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Pantoro Limited (ASX:PNR) was excited by initial results from the first phase of infill/extension drilling completed on the planned open pits at the Wagtail deposits, as well as further high grade drilling results from the underground drilling of the Mother and Anderson Lodes at the company’s Nicolsons project.

Pantoro said the initial open pit RC drilling results exceeded its expectations, and the company has detailed grade control drilling to follow in the coming weeks.

Best new results include:

Open Pits:
WNRC16012 (Wagtail North)
13 metres at 17.66 grams per tonne gold, including 8m at 26.97g/t gold;
3m at 12.42g/t gold; and
6m at 6.2g/t gold.

WNRC16010 (Wagtail North)
12m at 7.2g/t gold;

WNRC16008 (Wagtail North)
2m at 16.43g/t gold.

Underground:
NGC16032 (Mother Lode)
1.7m at 12.16g/t gold.

NUD16033 (Mother Lode)
3.8m at 5.71g/t gold, including 0.3m at 17.2 g/t gold; and

NUD16037 (Anderson Lode)
3m at 16.4g/t gold.

Pantoro explained the first phase open pit drilling was designed to test the extents of the current model prior to a close spaced infill grade control program, which it expects to be undertaken during September.

The company believes the early results have indicated high-grade mineralisation extending outside of current pit designs.

The Wagtail and Rowdies deposits remain effectively untested at depth, which Pantoro consider to have potential for additional underground developments once the pits are completed.

Results are still outstanding for the majority of the first pass of drilling below the Rowdies pit.

“The demonstrated continuity of the Mother Lode and Anderson at depth is an exciting development for Nicolsons, with continued high grades adding great potential for additional near-term Ore Reserve upgrades,” Pantoro managing director Paul Cmrlec said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“The Mother Lode is completely open below the current drilling depth and further potential depth extensions will be drill tested as suitable underground drill platforms become available.

“In addition, the recent discovery of the Darcy Lode approximately 80 metres north and with very similar properties to the Mother Lode provides a clear demonstration of the potential for the additional discovery of new high-grade structures to substantially increase the gold inventory at the mine.

“Development of the Darcy Lode is underway.

“The initial results from the surface drilling are beyond our expectations, and clearly demonstrate the potential for overcalls in the open pits, similar to those underground at Nicolsons to date.

“We eagerly await results from the remainder of the first phase of the drilling program, and look forward to drill testing depth extensions to these lodes with a view to defining additional underground mine prospects at the site.

“Site works to increase processing plant throughput are underway, and increased production capacity is expected to be in place near the commencement of open pit mining, which is currently planned for October 2016.”

Email: admin@pantoro.com.au

Website: www.pantoro.com.au

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Blackham Resources (ASX: BLK) managing director Bryan Dixon was looking pleased at the Mining 2016 conference in Brisbane.

The company had just announced the latest results from underground drilling at the free milling, quartz vein hosted Golden Age deposit, which forms part of Blackham’s 100 per cent-owned Matilda gold project in Western Australia.

Dixon told The Roadhouse the results confirmed there to be a lot of gold lying around the Matilda gold project.

So much, in fact, that the company may have to consider building a new mill.

The latest results from Golden Age returned a number of high-grade results between and along strike from historical stopes including:

GAUD0063
1.9 metres at 38.6 grams per tonne gold, including 0.9m at 80.6g/t;

GAUD0062
3.7m at 17.1g/t gold, including 1m at 28.8g/t gold;

GAUD0025
1.9m at 12.91g/t gold;

GAUD0026
2m at 13.4g/t gold, including 1m at 25.6g/t gold; and

GAUD0034
2.7m at 8.63g/t gold, including 2m at 11.3g/t gold. 

Blackham said the diamond drill program was designed to test the grade and continuity of the Golden Age lode between two historical stoped areas outside the current resource.

The company believes this program will most likely yield a Reserve increase for this portion of Golden Age, situated just 400m below surface and easily accessible from the existing decline.

Several holes also intersected the Lennon sulphide lode along strike from existing Indicated Resources.

Results returned from the Lennon Lode include:

GAUD0061
6m at 5.15g/t gold;

GAUD0062
6.1m at 10.50g/t gold, including 1m at 54.4g/t gold; and

GAUD0063
12m at 7.4g/t gold.

Prior to this drilling the Golden Age ore reserve was estimated at 112,000 tonnes at 6g/t gold for 21,000 ounces.

Blackham expects these results will increase the Golden Age Mineral Resource, leading to further ore reserve additions.

“The latest Golden Age drilling is likely to add further grade profile to the mill feed during the first two years of production,” Dixon said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“The latest mineralisation which is outside the current resource is easily accessible just above the existing Golden Age reserves where mining activities commenced in July.

“The mining study over this new area is being prioritised.”

Email: info@blackhamresources.com.au

Website: www.blackhamresources.com.au