Infill and exploration drilling has returned new hits such as 15.85m @ 20.23 g/t gold from 585m (including 2.5m @ 64g/t) which represents the ninth-best Never Never gram x metre assay.
Exploration was also undertaken at the Gilby’s Complex, part of the developer higher-grade West Winds gold prospect, where a new broad intersection of gold mineralisation was returned.
Results here include 20m @ 3.49g/t gold from 322m, as well as 6m @ 7.3g/t gold, which is outside current existing resources.
Spartan Resources (ASX:SPR) recently updated the exploration target for Never Never to 1.6-1.9Moz of contained gold, having already established a high-grade resource of 952,900oz at the deposit which will almost certainly underpin the future restart of mining operations at Dalgaranga.
Never Never is the most advanced of several emerging high-grade prospects within a 600m radius of the mothballed 3Mtpa plant at Dalgaranga.
SPR managing director Simon Lawson says drilling is consistently delivering high-grade drill intersections “week after week, month after month”.
“When you combine this with the high-grade intercepts that we’re also seeing from the nearby Four Pillars and West Winds gold prospects, you can see why we’re so excited about the potential ahead of us,” he says.
“We understand better than most just how difficult it is to exist as a gold producer with low-grade ore feed and the consequential risk to cash margins.
“That is why as an exploration business we are focused and committed to finding high-grade ounces, delivering consistent high-grade resource growth and eventually solid high-grade reserves aimed at underpinning long-term, lower-risk restart of gold production at Dalgaranga.”
Activity at Dalgaranga continues to be busy with five drill rigs currently on site, four diamond and one reverse circulation.
Resource definition drilling is underway across the Four Pillars, West Winds and Sly Fox gold prospects following the completion of a high-resolution ground gravity and drone magnetic surveys on the granted ML59/749 mining lease.
Results of the surveys are currently being processed and integrated into SPR’s targeting dataset, with an extensive aircore drilling program scheduled to begin in April.