South Australian explorer Barton Gold (ASX: BGD) has announced encouraging drilling results from its reverse circulation (RC) campaign focused on the 233 deposit and Area 51 within its Tunkillia project.
The company today reported assays from the final 9,214 metres drilled across 37 holes at the 233 deposit, confirming multiple broad intersections outside and below the current (2020) mineral resource estimate (MRE) open pit model.
Assay highlights include wide intercepts of 32 at 1.22g/t gold from 319m and 20m at 1g/t from 263m, and grades of up to 2.5g/t over 9m from 61m.
Barton managing director Alex Scanlon said the results support the potential extension of the 233 deposit below historical drilling and the current mineral resource estimate pit shell.
“We are targeting an April MRE update for the 223 deposit and will quickly follow this up with further drilling targeting ‘low hanging fruit’ as we advance Tunkillia toward feasibility studies,” he said.
RC drilling is ongoing at the new Area 51 regional prospect. Mr Scanlon said these assays, along with results from the recently completed diamond drilling program at 233 and Area 51, are expected to be reported “during February, March and April”.
Results to inform updated mineral resource estimate in April
The RC results follow yesterday’s announcement that Barton has completed its 2,200m diamond drilling campaign at 233 and Area 51.
Results from both this program and the RC program will inform an updated mineral resource estimate at the 233 deposit, anticipated for April.
Barton said it will also evaluate the potential to establish a new resource estimate for the Area 51 gold zone.
Drilling targets poorly tested depth extensions and regional targets
Last September Barton embarked on a major drilling program targeting depth extensions of the 233 deposit and the new Area 51 gold zone.
Over 90% of the drilling informing the current JORC resource estimate was completed between 1996 and 2008, when gold prices were below US$500 an ounce. As a result, Barton said depth extensions and regional targets at the 233 deposit were poorly tested.
The company has identified multiple target zones for resource expansion including multiple potential plunging zones of high-grade mineralisation
Drilling will also test new zones of mineralisation in the previously untested ‘shadow’ of the dyke acting as the footwall to mineralisation in the current resource model.
