Maritana Minerals (ASX:MRT) has increased its total resource estimate to more than 2.1 million ounces after updating the resource for its Burbanks Gold Project in the Goldfields region of Western Australia.
The project hosts a total resource of 13.7 million tonnes (Mt) @ 1.7 grams per tonnes gold (Au) for 755,000 ounces, reported at a 0.5g/t Au cut-off for open-pit material and a 1g/t Au cut-off for underground material.
The total resource comprises an open-pit component of 10.6Mt @ 1.45g/t Au for 496,000 ounces and an underground component of 3.1Mt @ 2.63g/t Au for 259,000 ounces, representing a total increase of 290,000 ounces, or 62%.
At Burbanks, the project-wide resource has increased by 198,000 ounces, or 67%, while the underground resource has increased by 91,000 ounces, or 54%.
Within the indicated category, resources have increased by 29%, with most of the growth coming from the Burbanks North open-pit and underground domains.
These domains now contain 11.1Mt @ 1.47g/t Au for 523,000 ounces, up from 3.7Mt @ 2.06g/t Au for 243,000 ounces.
The Burbanks open pit alone accounts for 128,800 ounces of recovered gold in the current Black Swan Processing Hub life-of-mine (LOM) plan. The LOM plan does not account for the Burbanks underground material.
Maritana has completed its phase-two drilling campaign at Burbanks, with results already returned for the first 11 of 20 holes.
These drill results will be included in a resource update due in Q1 of 2027. Mineralisation has been defined to extend around 450m below surface at the Main Lode and Birthday Gift prospects, remaining open at depth and along strike.
Maritana has not yet declared an ore reserve for Burbanks, although studies to define an ore reserve are expected to commence based on the improved resource classification.
CEO Grant Haywood says the resource increase strengthens the Burbanks deposit and takes the company’s total resource inventory above 2 million ounces.
“The growth has come almost entirely from the Burbanks North area, with many other key high-grade areas remaining open and offering further upside,” Haywood says.
“With 29% of the mineral resource now in the indicated category and the final phase-two drill results expected shortly, we will progress a further mineral resource update in Q1 CY2027 and ore reserve studies.
“This work will further grow the value of the project, with Burbanks Underground firming as a new potential source of feed for the Black Swan Processing Hub.”
As reported by Mining.com.au earlier this month, Maritana began resource conversion and extensional drilling at the Coote and Crake gold deposits as part of a larger 60,000m campaign across its assets.
Maritana Minerals is an emerging mid-tier gold producer focused on developing the Black Swan Processing Hub in WA.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Main Image: Maritana Minerals
