Great Boulder Resources (ASX:GBR) has kick started a diamond drilling program at the Mulga Bill Project, as part of the Side Well Gold Project in Western Australia.
Drilling is testing gold mineralisation at Mulga Bill, to a depth of 500m below surface.
One hole will be drilled at the northern end of the resource area, targeting mineralisation around the cross-cutting Proterozoic dyke, while the other will be drilled further south within the “high-grade” zone.
Great Boulder, which has a market capitalisation of $27.89 million, says drilling is expected to take two weeks to complete. Once completed, the core will be logged before being cut for sampling, with assays expected to be available in September.
Managing Director Andrew Paterson says the company is now one to two weeks ahead of schedule for its six-month plan, which was announced mid-July, with 13 aircore holes drilled at Mulga Bill North and another 50 at Saltbush.
“This is the next step in our plan to demonstrate the overall scale of this deposit as we move towards the million-ounce milestone at Side Well,” Paterson says.
“The percussion rig has now switched back to reverse circulation drilling and it’s busy testing extensions at Mulga Bill, which will help with the resource update at the end of the year.
“With two rigs on site and 18km of gold prospects to drill, it is a very busy time for the company. We anticipate plenty of exciting news in the weeks and months ahead.”
The reverse circulation rig is currently drilling holes at the northern end of Mulga Bill, which continues to add definition to an area where drilling intersected 16m @ 13.83 grams per tonne gold from 107m.
Once drilling is completed, the rig will move to begin a program of infill and extensional drilling at Mulga Bill. Drilling aims to extend resource zones at depth and add definition to areas of inferred resource within the conceptual pit shell.
Great Boulder says this data will inform the resource update later this year.
Resource infill drilling will also provide samples for metallurgical testing. The company aims to look at gravity gold recovery and cyanide leach characteristics of various areas within Mulga Bill in the regolith and fresh rock.
Testwork is expected to begin once all samples are collected, which is anticipated to take about 12 weeks to complete.
The Side Well Gold Project has a defined resource of 7.45 million tonnes @ 2.8 grams per tonne gold for 668,000 ounces of gold.
Great Boulder Resources is a mineral explorer with a portfolio of highly prospective gold and base metal projects in Western Australia.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Great Boulder Resources
