BPM Minerals (ASX:BPM) has launched a 20,000m reverse circulation drilling campaign across the Forelands Gold Project in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields.
The program comprises about 10,000m of resource definition drilling at the Beachcomber prospect to support a maiden mineral resource estimate, and a further 10,000m of maiden drilling at the Bonnie and Clyde prospect. Drilling is set to begin in the coming weeks, subject to final approvals.
Beachcomber drilling will include infill and extensional holes targeting multiple lodes. The program is supported by co-funding under the WA Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme.
At Bonnie and Clyde, BPM will test a 6km-long, gold-in-soil anomaly associated with the Yellow Dam Shear Zone. Drill targeting has been informed by ultra-fine fraction soil sampling program, airborne magnetic survey, and a completed heritage survey with the Upurli Upurli Nguratja Aboriginal Corporation.
“This is the largest drilling commitment in BPM’s history, and it reflects exactly where the Forelands Project sits today. At Beachcomber, 12 months of systematic work has grown the prospect from three historical fencelines into a large gold system with multiple mineralised lodes,” CEO Oliver Judd says.
“The next step is obvious — drill it to the density required to estimate a maiden resource. That work will give us the clearest possible picture of what we own the option over and will directly inform our decision on exercising the option to acquire the project.”
Over the past 12 months, BPM says drilling has extended the Beachcomber main lode to more than 300m of strike and 250m of vertical depth, while identifying additional mineralised lodes at the Beachcomber North-West, Central, and Fault prospects.
Previous drilling returned 15m @ 1.40 grams per tonne gold (Au), including 1m @ 85.61g/t Au. The company says mineralisation remains open across all lodes.
BPM expects to announce final drill targets for Bonnie and Clyde within the month, with Beachcomber resource drilling scheduled to begin in late July and Bonnie and Clyde drilling in August. Assay results from both programs are expected during the December quarter.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: BPM Minerals
