Bardoc Gold Limited (ASX: BDC) has reported outstanding new results of 37m at 6.21g/t Au including an exceptional high-grade zone of 13m at 10.94g/t from the RC drilling at the Aphrodite Deposit within its 3.02Moz Bardoc Gold Project in WA.
The company reported that broad, high-grade gold intercepts were returned from untested locations within the Omega Lode, and have the potential to significantly add to the reserves of this lode.
Significant results include 37m @ 6.21g/t Au from 90m including 13m @ 10.94g/t Au from 90m; 7m @ 8.95g/t Au including 4m @ 15.07g/t Au from 132m; and 4m @ 5.24g/t Au from 158m.
BDC noted that the results support nearby results from the Omega Lode reported earlier, which included 3.7m @ 9.51g/t Au from 208.6m.
The company said that the results demonstrate the potential for extensions to existing lodes and additional discoveries within the multi-lode system.
Bardoc said that RC drilling continues at Zoroastrian, with Excelsior and Mayday North to follow.
The company said that drilling will recommence at Mayday North and North Kanowna Star upon the interpretation of the recent geophysical survey. BDC announced that the DFS geotechnical work is on track and ahead of schedule, and the DFS metallurgical testwork is progressing well.
Bardoc project
Bardoc‘s 100%-owned 2.6Moz Bardoc Gold Project is located 55km north of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
The Project includes five main gold deposits – Aphrodite, Excelsior, Zoroastrian, Mulwarrie, and Bulletin South – as well as a multitude of smaller deposits.
The Company had also acquired the Mayday and North Kanowna Star project which includes a combined JORC Resource of 111,600oz and is located immediately east of the Bardoc Gold project.
Aphrodite Deposit
The cornerstone Aphrodite Deposit hosts current Ore Reserves totalling 500,000oz from both open pit and underground sources. The Aphrodite Deposit consists of multiple lodes – Alpha, Phi, Epsilon, Sigma, and Omega.
Drilling at Omega lode
The company had commenced a reverse circulation drilling at the Omega lode within the Aphrodite Deposit, part of the Company’s 100%-owned 3.02Moz Bardoc Gold Project located 40km north of Kalgoorlie in WA.
BDC said that the recent drilling within the Omega Lode has intersected further broad zones of gold mineralisation outside of the current Ore Reserves, highlighting the strong potential to identify areas of broad, high-grade gold mineralisation to add to current Ore Reserves within the cornerstone 1.68Moz Aphrodite multi-lode system.
High-grade results
BDC reported outstanding new results from the drilling at Omega lode from drill holes 20APRC0001, 20APRC0002, 20APRC0003, 20APRC0004, 20APRC0005, and 20APRC0006.
Significant results include 37m @ 6.21g/t Au including 13m @ 10.94g/t Au from 90m in 20APRC0006; 7m @ 8.95g/t Au including 4m @ 15.07g/t Au from 132m in 20APRC0001; and 4m @ 5.24g/t Au from 158m in 20APRC0003.
BDC said that the latest outstanding drilling results confirm the potential for untested areas of the Aphrodite Deposit to deliver additional mineralisation that will likely have a positive impact on the long-term future of the mine.
The company said that follow-up drilling is being planned to fully test the lateral extents of this mineralisation and will be undertaken in the coming months.
DFS on schedule
The company said that Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) geotechnical work is on track and ahead of schedule, and the DFS metallurgical testwork is also progressing well.
BDC noted that there are large untested areas at Aphrodite and these results confirm there are still discoveries to be made that will positively impact the Company’s DFS plans.
Updates and next steps
Bardoc reported that Air-core drilling in the vicinity of the proposed mill and future tailings dam sites has commenced as part of a sterilisation and data gathering program.
The company announced that work is ongoing to finalise the processing plant location, engineering, and borefield capacity.
BDC said that the RC drilling is being planned at Excelsior and Mayday North to extend the mineralisation, while exploration Air-core drilling is being planned to north of the planned mill site.
The company also announced upcoming drilling programs at Aphrodite, Mayday North, and Kanowna Star. BDC said that areas west of the Aphrodite Deposit, Mayday North and North Kanowna Star will be tested, where a multi-pronged 40,000m drill program has been planned, targeting potential new discoveries
BDC said that further plans include permitting for the Feasibility Study with stakeholders including several State Government Departments.
The company reported that exploration work is ongoing at this time and may involve the drilling of more drill holes, both DC and RC, to further extend the mineralised zones and to collect additional detailed data on known and as yet unidentified mineralized zones.
Bardoc Gold said that it is continuing with mine planning studies, including metallurgical test work.
Management comments
Bardoc Gold’s Chief Executive Officer Robert Ryan said: “These breakthrough results clearly demonstrate the potential for significant Reserve growth at our cornerstone Aphrodite Deposit. Once again, a systematic and scientific approach to exploration has paid dividends with in-fill resource drilling delivering grades and widths well above expectation, further increasing our confidence in the geological models and identifying significant new areas of growth.
These latest results will go into our resource update at the end of September, with the overall aim of converting our 1Moz production target into JORC compliant mining reserves.
With the resource in-fill programs now underway at Excelsior and Zoroastrian, the focus will soon turn to exploration, where we plan to embark on a 40,000m drill program targeting the highly prospective areas at Mayday North, North Kanowna Star, and the Black Flag Fault and Bardoc Tectonic Zone interaction.
The recently completed capital raising has brought on board a number of Tier-1 Australian and Global Institutions who will support the company through the completion of the DFS and into production. We can now look forward with confidence and to begin early pre-production works in order to achieve our vision of becoming a mid-tier gold producer as expeditiously as possible.”