Kingston reports 1.6Mt resource estimate at Jack’s Hut copper-gold target
The Jack’s Hut resource now totals 1.6Mt at 0.9% copper, 1.25g/t gold, 0.8% lead, 0.6% zinc and 20g/t silver.
Kingston Resources (ASX: KSN) has released an updated mineral resource estimate for the Jack’s Hut copper-gold target within existing mining leases at Mineral Hill in New South Wales.
The new figure sits at 1.6 million tonnes grading 0.9% copper, 1.25 grams per tonne gold, 0.8% lead, 0.6% zinc and 20g/t silver and comprises the Jack’s Hut, Ashes and Iodide deposits.
It lifts the Mineral Hill global resource to 8.9Mt at 1.13g/t gold, 28g/t silver, 1% copper, 1.6% lead and 1.1% zinc.
Total contained gold and copper for the global resource base has increased by over 26% after consolidation of numerous zones of mineralisation which were once modelled as separate regions.
The zones are near surface and considered amenable to underground mining.
They have been reported using a $50 per tonne net smelter return cut-off.
Historical production
The Jack’s Hut underground mine historically produced 705,067t of ore at 0.74% copper and 6.76g/t gold for 11,913t copper and 80,256oz gold sold from 1993 to 1999.
Underground portals exist for Jack’s Hut and the Southern Ore Zone (SOZ) deposit, and there is potential to access the Jack’s Hut mineralisation from both.
SOZ has a current resource of 3.8Mt at 1.29g/t gold, 19g/t silver, 0.9% copper, 1.6% lead and 1.4% zinc for 158,000oz gold, 2.35Moz silver, 34,000t copper, 60,000t lead and 54,000t zinc.
Planning is now underway for additional drilling to target the copper sulphide mineralisation at Jack’s Hut, which remains open down plunge and along strike.
Life of mine plan
Kingston managing director Andrew Corbett said Jack’s Hut could potentially be added to the overall life of mine plan for Mineral Hill.
“This deposit is one of many within the fully approved mining leases at Mineral Hill and if it is included in our overall mining inventory, it could potentially and materially increase value for our shareholders,” he said.
“We plan to get targeted drilling underway as soon as possible so that we can extend it at depth and improve the confidence of the inferred portion of this resource.”