Ora Banda Mining (ASX:OBM) has extended the newly discovered Sapphire gold lodes across more than 2.6km of strike at its Little Gem prospect in Western Australia.
Drilling has defined multiple parallel lodes to about 200m below surface, with mineralisation remaining open along strike and at depth.
Results from the Sapphire system include 5m @ 18.1 grams per tonne gold (Au) from 115m, including 1m @ 84.8g/t Au, and 2m @ 44.3g/t Au from 30m, including 1m @ 86.4g/t Au.
At the Little Jewel prospect, drilling returned 1.2m @ 25.6g/t Au from 173.53m, including 0.5m @ 64.9g/t Au.
The company notes the Sapphire lodes were discovered in March about 200m east of the established Gem system and have now been traced south from the British Lion prospect to Little Jewel.
Ora Banda says the lodes comprise several parallel structures containing moderately south-plunging ‘high-grade’ shoots. Mineralisation is hosted in carbonate lenses within sedimentary rocks.
Drilling has also extended the Gem lodes across more than 4.7km of strike and to about 750m below surface. New results include 18m @ 3.4g/t Au from 59m and 16.1m @ 3.5g/t Au from 479.94m, including 2.1m @ 21.6g/t Au.
Reported intercepts are downhole lengths, with true widths not stated.
Managing Director Luke Creagh says the expansion of the Sapphire system supports its potential to host substantial gold mineralisation.
“Exploration activity continues to progress at pace across Little Gem, with the team on track to deliver a maiden mineral resource estimate [MRE] later this calendar year,” Creagh says.
Ora Banda has completed more than 360 holes across the Little Gem and Sunraysia prospects, with drilling at Little Gem continuing. The company expects to deliver the maiden MRE in late 2026.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: Ora Banda Mining
