Askari drilling in WA Wheatbelt returns gold extension

Askari Metals has received initial high-grade gold results from a third phase of RC drilling at the company’s Burracoppin gold project in WA’s Wheatbelt region. In June a total of 40 RC holes were drilled for 3639m and now the assays are in from the first nine holes around the project’s Christmas Gift prospect. Broad zones of gold mineralisation have been defined confirming a southern extension of gold at the prospect.

Significant results come from two holes with the first and closest to the prospect returning 1m at 5.06 g/t gold from 46m.

Another hole 50m to the south probing for an extension yielded 10m at 1.38 grams per tonne gold from 34m downhole whilst also containing higher grade intervals of 3m at 3.62 g/t from 41m and 1m at 8.74 g/t from 42m.

The assays also close the gap between mineralisation at Christmas Gift in the project’s north and the Benbur prospect in the project’s south.

Askari now sees an opportunity to join the mineralisation sites together and significantly increase the scale of its ground’s potential gold endowment.

Askari Metals Vice President of Exploration and Geology, Johan Lambrechts said: “Connecting these two zones with in-fill drilling will add significant scale to the future potential of the Burracoppin gold project.”

In addition to the drilling around Christmas Gift, extensions around other prospects were tested in the program along with previously undrilled targets identified by soil geochemical anomalies.

However, the campaign did not explore below or near existing areas of mineralisation as Askari plans to assess these opportunities in future phases of drilling.

Further assays from the third pass of drilling are expected to be received shortly.

The company plans to use findings from its drill program to guide more phases of exploration as it looks to table a maiden mineral resource estimate and an initial scoping study for the project.

Less than 25km to the north-east of Burracoppin lies ASX-listed Ramelius Resources’ Edna May processing plant and gold mine, hosting a mineral resource of 31 million tonnes grading 1 gram per tonne gold for a total of 990,000 ounces contained.

More than 1 million ounces of gold have been produced from the mine, with annual production ranging between 66,000 and 99,000 ounces since 2011.

Ramelius has been transporting ore to its Edna May Mill from as far as 170km away from its other open pit mines as it looks to bring its Edna May open-pit back into action.

Should Askari define something sizeable at Burracoppin, it may be an attractive source of feed for the $565m market-capped producer’s 2.6 million-tonne-per-annum processing plant.

Whilst Askari Metals awaits further results from Burracoppin a drill rig continues to chew through the metres of an ongoing maiden drilling program at the company’s 100 per cent owned Horry copper and gold project in WA’s Kimberley region.

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