Great Boulder Resources has drawn closer to landing a maiden mineral resource estimate with its Side Well South prospect after gold assays from 21 reverse cycling drill holes returned with high-grade mineralisation from shallow depths.
The thick gold intersections at Side Well included significant findings of 21 metres at 2.22 grams per tonne (g/t) Au from 41 metres, including results from 2 metres at 6.98 g/t Au from 54 metres in 25SWRC031.
Other notable results included 24 metres at 2.75 g/t Au from 97 metres, including 2 metres at 17.33 g/t Au from 97 metres in 25SWRC037.
Great Boulder managing director Andrew Paterson said the Side Well South gold prospect was progressing well.
“With several new wide intersections delivered from recent drilling on the two parallel gold lodes that we discovered earlier in the year, we are now very close to having sufficient drilling information and geological continuity for an initial resource estimate at Side Well South,” he said.
The prospect, located near Meekatharra in Western Australia, hosts a mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 668,000 ounces (oz) at 2.8 g/t Au.
The 21 reverse cycling (RC) holes that were completed at Side Well totalled 2734 metres in the recent phase of resource definition drilling.
At the same time, two north-northwest striking lodes being defined with the western lode drilled over a strike length of approximately 300 metres, and the eastern lode over approximately 400 metres; both lodes remain open along strike in both directions and also at depth.
“Air-core (AC) and RC drilling at Side Well South has defined two parallel lodes… with shallow, steeply dipping gold mineralisation identified, very similar in style to the Ironbark and Saltbush discoveries,” Paterson said.
“We have identified several other undrilled geochemical targets with the same pathfinder signature located further to the south, so we anticipate further gold discoveries in this area from ongoing exploration.”
Further results from the assays include a result from 8 metres at 3.88 g/t Au from 144 metres, including 1 metre at 23.20 g/t Au from 145 metres in 25SWRC033.
Another is a result from 4 metres at 3.12 g/t Au from 8 metres in 25SWRC025; and 3 metres at 2.96 g/t Au from 56 metres in 25SWRC026.
Paterson said the next steps for Great Boulder’s exploration team will be to finish off the last few RC holes at Eaglehawk and Side Well South, “before finalising the geological and mineralisation interpretations in readiness for resource estimation”.
“I’m pleased to say everything is on schedule for our pending resource update, which will include five deposits: Mulga Bill, Eaglehawk, Ironbark, Saltbush and Side Well South,” he said.
The company’s AC rig has completed 119 holes in the recent program of first-pass reconnaissance exploration, all of which are currently being assayed and results expected in three weeks.
Likewise, diamond drilling is continuing at Ironbark, with a seven-hole program of geotechnical and metallurgical holes approximately 50 per cent complete.
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