Astral Resources (ASX:AAR) has further expanded its gold mineralisation footprint in Western Australia through diamond drilling at the Theia deposit within the Mandilla Gold Project in Western Australia.
The company is now planning to conduct further diamond drilling at Theia, which will target a potential mineralised structure at depth. If successful, it could potentially provide the company support for the classification of a future underground resource.
This news follows the receipt of results from the latest 2 diamond drillholes at the Theia deposit, which returned assays of more than 200-gram-metres of gold over the length of the holes.
‘Significant’ results from diamond drillhole MDRCD734 include 14m @ 2.65g/t Au from 215m, including 0.3m @ 100.9g/t Au from 223m and 0.35m @ 11g/t Au from 225.3m; and 24m @ 2.60g/t Au from 339m, including 0.4m @ 125.15g/t Au from 358.2m.
Commenting on the drill results, Astral Resources Managing Director Marc Ducler says: These strong diamond drill results at Theia keep on coming, boosting our confidence that the growth potential of the mineral resource has considerable upside.
“These strong diamond drill results at Theia keep on coming”
The 2 latest diamond drillholes targeted extensions to gold mineralisation 40m along plunge to the northeast of our previous successful drilling and successfully returned multiple gold intercepts, combining for more than 200-gram-metres in each hole.
Diamond drillholes MDRCD734 and MDRCD735 returned 201-gram metres and 225-gram metres, respectively, supporting the potential for continued growth in resources at Mandilla as we have consistently been able to demonstrate over the last 2 years.”
Astral adds recent metallurgical testing conducted on Theia has represented high gravity recoverable gold, fast leach kinetics, and ‘exceptional’ overall gold recoveries with low reagent consumptions and coarse grinding.
The company is now starting work on the next Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE), which is expected to be released to the market in the September quarter.
Additionally, a Scoping Study for Mandilla is expected in the second half of 2023, with further diamond drilling plans currently underway and anticipated to begin in the early September quarter.
Astral plans to resume reverse circulation drilling in the project area in July 2023.
Astral Resources is a Perth-based gold and base metals exploration company. The company’s Mandilla Project is located about 70km south of Kalgoorlie and 20km east of Kambalda.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Astral Resources NL
