ASX-listed Bardoc Gold is embarking on a major drilling program at its Zoroastrian deposit just north of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in a bid for a substantial expansion of its resource. The company is also striking significant gold mineralisation in drilling at its satellite North Kanowna Star project.
The Zoroastrian program is aimed at growing the existing 530,000-ounce resource and Bardoc has announced an updated exploration target for the deposit of between 2.05 metres and 2.59m tonnes at a grade range of between 3.4 grams per tonne and 4.18g/t for an additional 225,000-336,000 ounces.
The company says the potential quantity and grade of the exploration target area at Zoroastrian is purely conceptual because there has not been enough exploration to estimate a mineral resource however it sees great potential in the deposit which has consistently exceeded expectations in drilling results.
Bardoc is also excited about results coming out of the North Kanowna Star project 29km south-east of its Bardoc gold project, with a mineral resource of 32koz at the Perseverance-Wedge deposit. Management says the drilling has established North Kanowna Star as a significant mineralised zone with 13 prospects showing resource potential.
Bardoc Chief Executive Officer Robert Ryan said the Zoroastrian drilling program had the potential to deliver significant growth in resource, reserves and mine life at the flagship deposit.
He said: “Zoroastrian is without a doubt one of the best assets in our portfolio, with drilling at the project consistently exceeding expectations. The project already has a substantial mineral resource of 530koz and we see huge potential to significantly increase both the resource and reserve."
“Zoroastrian underground is a key component of our operating plan which, when in full production, generates over $50 million free cash flow per year. Extending the mine life at Zoroastrian has immense economic benefits for the operation."
The company says that its North Kanowna Star project corridor now extends to over 3km in length and can be likened to the +1Moz Zoroastrian-Excelsior corridor.
Bardoc Gold Chief Executive Officer, Robert Ryan said: “North Kanowna Star is a long-term exploration project where we see the opportunity for substantial new resources which will provide additional mine life to the Bardoc Gold Project. With 13 prospect areas showing the potential to become resources in the future, we will utilise all the geological, geophysical and geochemical data we have collected to rank the targets and develop an aggressive follow-up exploration program.”
The Zoroastrian deposit is a multilode system that is open along strike and down-plunge and has been subjected to open pit and underground mining during its long history. It first saw underground mining in the early 1900s and entered a new phase of open pit mining in the 1980s.
The North Kanowna Star project contains multiple prospects spread over several kilometres. The company says it is unusual to see such strong gold anomalism over an area of this size and it is earmarking the area as significant in the local geological landscape.
Whilst Bardoc Gold is a relatively new name as a potential miner in the Eastern Goldfields, its strategic mergers with Aphrodite Gold and Excelsior Gold in 2017 and 2018 respectively saw it acquire almost shovel ready projects and with a bit more success with the drill bit, Bardoc just might be the next Eastern Goldfields miner to take the bull by the horns in this gold-rich territory.
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By Matt Birney
