Astral Resources (ASX:AAR) reports the existence of a new ‘significant’ shear-hosted gold mineralisation zone following reverse circulation (RC) drilling at its 100% owned Mandilla Gold Project in Western Australia.
The results, generated by 38 RC drill-holes for 6,422m at the newly named Hestia discovery, provide potential to expand the project’s current Inferred and Indicated 2012 JORC-complaint Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE).
‘Significant’ results include:
- Hole MDRC616: 6m @ 7.07g/t Au from 107m
- Hole MDRC587: 1m @ 26.15g/t Au from 13m, incl. 12m @ 1.07g/t Au from 52m
- Hole MDRC606: 11m @ 2.00g/t Au from 90m
- Hole MDRC612: 2m @ 5.69g/t Au from 128m, incl. 8m @ 1.37g/t Au from 140m
- Hole MDRC617: 7m @ 1.64g/t Au from 131m, incl. 5m @ 2.76g/t Au 163m
- Hole MDRC619: 7m @ 2.25g/t Au from 126m
- Hole MDRC611: 22m @ 0.96g/t Au from 60m, incl. 7m @ 1.00g/t Au from 102m
Speaking on the results, Astral Resources’ Managing Director Marc Ducler, said: “Our ongoing drilling programs continue to unlock significant upside and growth opportunities at Mandilla.
“Our ongoing drilling programs continue to unlock significant upside and growth opportunities at Mandilla”
These very encouraging assay results provide the opportunity to define additional Mineral Resources in a completely different geological setting just 500 metres from the cornerstone Theia deposit.
With an impressive 32 of 38 drillholes returning gold mineralisation over 1,000 metres of shear zone running sub-parallel to Theia, Hestia now presents as a priority in-fill target.
This provides further evidence that the Mandilla Gold Project is geologically very fertile, has multiple styles of gold mineralisation and has significant potential for further resource growth.
The exploration team is drilling aggressively with a 4,700-metre diamond drill program currently underway whilst assay results are pending for 5,521 metres of AC and 2,873 metres of RC drilling, from drill programs that were completed recently.
A significant amount of drilling has been completed since our last MRE update in January 2022. We look forward to updating the MRE as soon as we finish this current DD program, anticipated to be early in the December quarter.”
The company also notes that the newly identified Hestia discovery is situated across a strike length of 1,000m that runs sub-parallel to the Mandilla Shear, which hosts the project’s Theia deposit.
In addition, assay results are still pending for 80 aircore (AC) drillholes that were conducted to test extensions of the Eos paleochannel deposit, as well as for 2,873m of additional RC drilling at the Iris and Theia deposits.
The Mandilla Gold project is located about 70km south of Kalgoorlie, within the Widgiemooltha greenstone belt of Western Australia with Astral Resources owning 100% of all associated tenements.
The project currently boasts an updated JORC 2012 compliant MRE of 24Mt @ 1.0g/t Au for 784koz of contained gold, as well as an inaugural MRE for its encompassing Eos discovery.
With assays from additional drilling campaigns still pending, Astral Resources announces that it has commenced diamond drilling (DD) program and has completed 493m of the planned 4,700m to date.
Images: Astral Resources NL
