THE DRILL SERGEANT: Alara Resources (ASX:AUQ) has increased the JORC Measured and Indicated zinc and copper Resource at the company’s Khnaiguiyah zinc-copper project in Saudi Arabia.

The Measured and Indicated JORC Resource for Zones 1, 2 and 3 at Khnaiguiyah now stands at 25.33 million tonnes at 4.03 per cent zinc and 0.16 per cent copper.

Alara also released the JORC Measured and Indicated Copper Resource for a separate copper only domain, which exists within the mineralised zones.

This too has been increased and now stands at 6.67 million tonnes at 0.69 per cent copper.

This resource upgrade follows the completion of over 93 drill holes in Zone 2 and several thousand metres of new drilling in Zone 1 since the cut-off date (22 November 2011) for determination of the maiden JORC resource the company announced in February.

Alara has undertaken Whittle optimisation studies in relation to Zones 1, 2 and 3 as part of the
Khnaiguiyah Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS).

The company said these studies have indicated the current Measured and Indicated Resource will have a high likelihood of conversion to a JORC Reserve status and confirm project economics based on:

–    Lower operating cost working environment in Saudi Arabia;

–    Technical sophistication and planning backed up by extensive metallurgical test work reflected in low processing costs; and

–    Lower strip ratios than previously envisaged.

From the drilling conducted at Zone 1 Alara has delineated a mineralised zone of approximately 600m in length, up to 100m in width and an average thickness of 15m open at both ends along strike.

 

Drill hole locations in Mineralised Zones 1 to 4 at Khnaiguiyah project. Source: Company announcement

 

The new Measured and Indicated Resource has resulted in the company to make the decision to upgrade the parameters of the current DFS to reflect an increase in the Khnaiguiyah production profile from an annual throughput of 1.5 million to 2 million tonnes per annum.

“It has been an exceptionally hectic 18 months coming to grips with the geology of the deposits, over 36,000 metres of drilling, new resource models, delivering on soft issues around environmental approval and water availability as well as concurrently completing the Definitive Feasibility Study,” Alara Resources managing director Shanker Madan said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“In the end, I believe our shareholders and partners will be satisfied that we will have delivered a sound DFS for the project.”

Alara said it anticipates this increased throughput is likely to result in an increased annualised production profile to approximately 80,000 tonnes of zinc metal and 6,000 tonnes of copper metal.

The alteration to the DFS is not expected to have any effect on the timing of release of the final DFS, which is still estimated to occur in the December quarter of this year.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Perth-based mineral exploration company Victory Mines (ASX:VIC) is gearing up for the commencement of its maiden drilling program at the company’s Clara Hills project, east of Derby, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The drilling will be targeting copper mineralisation and will consist of reverse circulation (‘RC’) drill holes ranging from 80 metres to 200 metres in depth.

 

Interpreted conductors and the intersection points of the planned drill holes. Source: Company announcement

 

“We are extremely excited to schedule the commencement of drilling at Clara Hills so soon after listing,” Victory Mines managing director Danny Costick said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“There has been limited historical exploration on the project, and we feel strongly that there is much potential yet to be discovered.”

Victory has conducted previous exploration and geological work including mapping, rock chip sampling and geophysics – utilising both aeromagnetic and ground electromagnetic (EM) surveys as well as limited drilling.

This work has enabled the company to defined five drill targets at the Clara Hills project.

The upcoming drill program is planned to test the Jack’s Hill gossan at Clara Hills as well as three other gossans Victory has identified at the prospect.

At Jack’s Hill previous rock chip sampling from within historic costeans returned values of up to 22.7 per cent copper, 2.05 per cent nickel and 82.9 grams per tonne silver as well as highly-anomalous results for gold and platinum group elements.

The company has also identified three other small gossan outcrops through mapping.

Each of these gossans returned anomalous values from rock chip sampling including 6.61 per cent copper and 0.3 per cent nickel.

Each of these gossans will be drill tested to systematically determine the full copper potential.

The EM survey defined two zones of interest approximately 150m west of the Jack’s Hill gossan.

Victory said the EM response suggests one of the zones of interest is down dip of the other.

Drill holes will test each of the upper and lower zones.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Dual-listed Tiger Resources (ASX:TGS, TSX:TGS) has released high-grade results from a diamond drilling program conducted at Kipoi North, a deposit situated within the boundaries of the company’s Kipoi copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Tiger said it would use the results to upgrade Kipoi North’s existing JORC-standard Inferred Mineral Resource of 5.3 million tonnes at 1.40 per cent copepr containing 72,000 tonnes of copper, in support of the definitive feasibility study that is currently underway for a Stage 2 solvent extraction-electro winning (SXEW) facility at Kipoi.

 

Priority 1 Drill Plan for Kipoi North. Source: Company announcement

 

Intersections from the 34-hole Priority 1 program at Kipoi North include:

–    21.5 metres at 4.80 per cent copper (0m to 21.5m), including 16.5m at 5.75 per cent (1.5m to 18m);

–    11.2m at 3.18 per cent copper (51.8m to 63m);

–    10.5m at3.04 per cent copper (39.5m to 50m);

–    17.3m at 2.61 per cent copper (21.5m to 38.8m), including 10.5m at 4.04 per cent copper (21.5m to 32m);

–    57m at 2.37 per cent copper (34m to 91m);

–    34.3m at 3.16 per cent copper (62.7m to 97m), including 6.2m at 9.27 per cent copper (74m to 80.2m);

–    56m at 2.59 per cent copper(51m to 107m), including 6m at 9.87 per cent copper (51.5m to 57.5m); and

–    21.3m at 2.49 per cent copper (13.5m to 34.8m).
 
Tiger said the assay results have confirmed the continuity of copper oxide mineralisation across the middle of the Kipoi North deposit with mineralisation remaining open at depth and along strike to the northwest and southeast.

“Recent assay results received for Priority 1 DD holes KPNDD071 to KPNDD104 confirm that copper mineralisation is consistent with the proposed resource model and hosted in highly weathered dolomite and strongly talc- and clay- altered formation,” Tiger Resources said in its ASX announcement.

“The latest drilling program has also confirmed the company’s understanding of the sedimentary and structural controls of the Kipoi North Deposit, which is considered as a tight anticline with mineralisation linked with the R2 RSC formations.

“The Kipoi North deposit represents the top of the anticline, with its axis dipping to the west and copper oxide enrichment in the upper levels of the anticline.”

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Riedel Resources (ASX: RIE) has received results from initial work programs the company has completed, including soil geochemical sampling and drilling, at its Burkina Faso gold permits.

These work programs commenced in April 2012 and concluded in June with the onset of the seasonal rain period.

The work has delineated a number of new gold-in-soil geochemical anomalies via surface soil sampling at the Tagou, Keri and Moaga projects.

Highlighted gold-in-soil assay values include:

Tagou project:

2,950 parts per billion gold;

450ppb gold; and

416ppb gold.

Keri project:

159ppb gold.

Moaga project:

74ppb gold.

In June Riedel secured a RC rig to drill 16 reconnaissance holes to test the width and tenor of near-surface gold-bearing quartz veins, which had been identified by past and present artisanal mining sites.

 

Tagou Project – RC drillhole traces in the southern area and rock chip sample results. Source: Company announcement

 

All assay results have now been received from the program with eight of 10 holes that targeted veins on the southern zone intersecting gold mineralisation within granite or dolerite hosted quartz vein or veins.

Best results include:

–    4 metres at 2.60 grams per tonne gold from 49 metres, including 1 metre at 9.79 grams per tonne gold; and

–    11m at 0.84g/t gold from 28m, including 2m at 2.00g/t gold and 2m at 2.44g/t gold from 90m.

“The drilling results highlight the spotty or nuggety nature of gold which exists in the northsouth trending quartz veins,” Riedel Resources said in its ASX announcement.

“It is encouraging to note that gold mineralisation has been shown to continue to depths of at least 100 metres in the veins and in low grade mineralised envelopes, as highlighted in the drilling intercept of 0.84 grams per tonne gold over a width of 11 metres.”

Riedel said that since the completion of the drilling program it had received results from geochemical sampling over the entire Tagou project area.

Work conducted by the company on these results have led it to interpret of all of the geochemical sampling and drilling results to indicate its preferred northeast-southwest structural trend (which has not yet been drilled) holds the best potential to yield gold mineralisation over significant widths.

“Several strong geochemical anomalies, which may reflect this preferred structural trend, have been identified and these anomalies will be further defined by mapping and magnetic survey work prior to drill testing,” the company said.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Recent drilling conducted by Lamboo Resources (ASX:LMB) has extended the flake graphite schist horizon at the company’s 100 per cent-owned McIntosh graphite project north of Halls Creek in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The company has now completed 30 RC drill holes at target 2, which it said has confirmed the consistency of the flake graphite schist horizon.

 

Target 2 RC drilling completed to date. Source: Company announcement

 

“RC drilling has successfully delineated the flake graphitic schist horizon over a strike length of 1200 metres at Target 2,” Lamboo Resources said in its ASX announcement.

“The drill hole depths are consistent with previous guidance and intersect flake graphite.

“The graphitic schist horizon remains open along strike and at depth in all 30 holes.”

Thirty drill holes of the planned program have been completed and samples are currently being analysed.

According to Lamboo all drill holes have intersected flake graphite.

The company will commence drilling Target 1 shortly and has planned at least 60 drill holes over an anticipated three kilometre strike length of this graphite schist horizon representing part of the interpreted 10 km extent of the unit within the tenements.

Additional graphitic schist targets at Targets 5 and 6 have been assessed.

Lamboo has drilling scheduled to be carried out at these targets for this calendar year.

The McIntosh flake graphite tenements cover an area of 330 square kilometres.

Lamboo said the tenements contain significant flake graphite mineralisation.