THE DRILL SERGEANT: Kalgoorlie Mining Company has reported the latest instalment of drilling results of the East Lode at the company’s Bullant gold mine.

KMC has completed a further 22 holes, which have provided the final drill results from an exercise the company carried out that was aimed at defining extensions along strike and at depth of its East Lode.

Long section showing drill hole location. Source: Company announcement

The latest results have returned grades up to 9.77 grams per tonne gold across a recorded true thickness of 2.40 metres.

The company said the latest results, combined with the 30 drill holes that it has previously released to the market, have been able to demonstrate that mineralisation of the East Lode still occurs.

Other results from the final stage of underground diamond drilling program include:

–    1.68m @ 12.94g/t Au for true thickness of 0.92m; and

–    2.76m @ 6.84g/t Au for 1.80m true thickness.

“Since the acquisition of the Bullant mine, KMC have been continuously testing areas of the East Lode that had previously remained un‐tested,” the company said in its ASX announcement.

“Over a period of 10 months, the company has successfully drilled 5,942 metres and intersected the East Lode in 52 drill holes.

“The outcome of the recent drill results highlight that there is still continued growth and mineralisation associated with the lode.

“Results also indicate that the East Lode mineralisation is persisting at depth and is not closed off, with the deepest intercept approximately more than 200 metres below the current development.”

KMC announced an upgrade on the resource in October.

The company said its next step will be to incorporate the newly released drill holes into an updated resource model, which it anticipates to have completed and released by the end of the year.

Planning is currently underway to allow for further testing of the East Lode early next year.

A drill platform is currently being developed on the 6014RL Level that will allow for a comprehensive campaign to test the southern region of the East Lode.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: PanAust has claimed the discovery of the newly named Nam San copper‐gold deposit, situated adjacent to the company’s Phu Kham openpit mine in northern Laos.

The company said recent drilling has confirmed the lateral continuity of mineralisation to be over at least 200 metres and that the zone remains open to the east, northwest and at depth.

Plan showing the position of the new zone of mineralisation in relation
to the planned Phu Kham openpit. Source: Company announcement

Drilling results include:

–    70 metres at 1.09 per cent copper and 0.88 grams per tonne gold from 456 metres. This was a twin hole to one previously drilled, which intersected 104m at 0.72 per cent copper and 0.30g/t gold from 478 metres.

–    28 metres at 0.86 per cent copper and 0.18 g/t gold from 158 metres, (PanAust said this it considers this to be a likely extension to the Phu Kham deposit), and 22m at 0.71 per cent copper and 0.08g/t gold from 446m.

–    The discovery hole intersected 78m at 1.51 per cent copper and 0.31g/t gold from 336m.

“Although it’s early days, these results confirm the discovery of a relatively high‐grade deposit of significant thickness,” PanAust managing director Gary Stafford said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“If future drilling and studies confirm the economic attractiveness of the Nam San deposit, likely access will be by decline and/or shaft located outside of the current Phu Kham open‐pit design limits.”

“Conceptually, we could foresee a source of high‐grade ore from an underground mine development either partly displacing lower grade ore from the Phu Kham open‐pit or providing feed to an expanded or new processing facility at or near Phu Kham.

“To that extent, we are also looking forward to the results of our drilling campaign at the nearby LCT deposit.”

PanAust said it was preparing to accelerate drilling at the Nam San deposit over the next 6 to 12 months with the objective of defining an inferred mineral resource in the second half of 2012.

It has also commenced conceptual studies to investigate possible underground access, mining methods and mining rates.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Bassari Resources has commenced a program of combined reverse circulation and diamond drilling at the company’s Konkouto prospect in Senegal, West Africa.

Konkouto is one of 13 gold prospects Bassari has identified along 80 kilometres of strike situated within the Birimian Gold Belt in Senegal.

The company’s exploration permits are surrounded by multi-million ounce gold deposits in the 50 million ounce Kenieba Inlier region.

Prospect location map. Source: Company announcement

The company said the recent RAB drilling results along with previous trench and soil geochemistry at Konkouto have singled out the prospect to be of its highest priority prospects to advance.

“In September we reported gold intersected over a wide interval at Konkouto,” Bassari Resources managing director Jozsef Patarica said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Drilling which has now commenced is targeted at following up these results to determine potential for a significant mineralised system.

“There are numerous artisanal workings in the area concentrated around the Konkouto Hill over an area of approximately 700 metres by 100 metres.”

The Konkouto Prospect is located 35km north east of Bassari’s most advanced gold discovery, the Makabingui project.

Previous shallow RC drilling conducted by Bassari to approximately 60 metres returned encouraging intercepts and enabled the company to identify a mineralised structure, which it said is controlled by a north north-west trending thrust fault, dipping to the east.

Recent RAB results have encouraged the company to consider the prospect to demonstrate potential for a large mineralised system.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Recent drilling carried out by South American-focused copper-gold explorer Whinnen Resources mineralisation at the Nany-Varas project in northern Chile has intersected broad zones of gold, copper and base metal.

The company is nearing completion of its maiden diamond drilling program on the Nany-Varas project, having completed a total of 18 holes for 2,437 metres completed to date.

Whinnen project locations, Atacama Desert, Chile. Source: Company announcement

Encouraging assays of gold-copper and base metal mineralisation returned from drilling at Nany-Varas include:

–    28.25 metres at 1.82 grams per tonne gold, 17.2 grams per tonne silver, 0.36 per cent copper from 120 metyres, including 1.10 metres at 43.1 grams per tonne gold, 74.7 grams per tonne silver, 0.53 per cent copper from 131.60 metres;

–    22.15m at 1.48g/t gold, 3.4 g/t silver, 0.02 per cent copper from 159.50m, including 1.25m at 7.4g/t gold, 6.6 g/t silver, 0.01 per cent copper from 179.15m; and

–    11.66m at 0.13g/t gold, 12 g/t silver, 0.19 per cent copper, 1.30 per cent lead, 1.85 per cent zinc from 59.64m.

“These latest drilling results from the Nany Project are very encouraging,” Whinnen Resources managing director Tony Greenaway said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Recent drilling has intersected wide zones of base metal and gold mineralisation with some very high grade internal zones. Indications are the mineralisation is changing with depth.”

“However, it is still early days for this project, and we intend to wait for all of the outstanding assay results to come back from the laboratory to complete a full review of what we have found here before we embark on a more detailed, systematic and measured exploration campaign at Nany in 2012.”

The project is located approximately 40 kilometres south along strike from the PanAust – Codelco JV Inca de Oro copper-gold project (Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource of 259 million tonnes grading 0.46 per cent copper and 0.13 grams per tonne gold), within the world-renowned Inca de Oro mining district in Northern Chile’s Atacama region.

The Inca de Oro area has been extensively mined for copper and gold and is currently the focus of significant exploration activity targeting copper and vein gold mineralisation.

Whinnen identified the geological target at Nany-Varas via mapping and surface rock sampling and claims it is a large auriferous, low-sulphidation vein system hosted in a dominantly andesitic volcanic and sedimentary sequence.

The company said that drilling it has carried out has confirmed that the vein system extends over a strike length of 800m and to a depth of more than 300m below surface.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Argentina- focused ASX-listed exploration play Elementos has announced it is intending to extend its current drilling program.

The company currently has a Phase II drilling program being carried out at its Manantiales gold-silver project, located in San Juan Province, Argentina.

Source: Company announcement

The program is to be extended by an additional three diamond holes that Elementos has scheduled to be drilled in December as part of a new drilling rig commissioning.

This commissioning program has been planned by Energold, the company’s Phase I and Phase II drilling contractor.

Elementos will pay the cost of the drilling without normal mobilisation charges.

“The program will comprise approximately 600 metres aimed at testing the depth extensions of the Manantial vein and the new Manantial South vein,” Elementos said in is company announcement to the ASX.
 
“The results of the program are expected to be available in early 2012 and should provide important technical information for planning of future drilling programs.”