Stockhead Investor: Astral shines as thick, high-grade gold hits from infill drilling raises confidence in Theia resource

Infill drilling at Astral Resources’ flagship Theia deposit, part of the Mandilla gold project near Kalgoorlie, is continuing to build confidence.

Results are strongly aligned with the resource model, laying the groundwork for studies on bringing the 1.15Moz deposit into production.

Notable assays from the drilling being carried out on a close, 12m by 12m, drill density include:

• 14m grading 6.89g/t gold from a down-hole depth of 57m including 2m at 36.4g/t from 63m (AMRC052)

• 14m at 4.1g/t gold from 44m including 1m at 28g/t from 55m (AMRC040)

• 24m at 2.24g/t gold from 52m including 1m at 11.4g/t from 59m (AMRC063)

• 21m at 2.26g/t gold from 104m including 1m at 34.3g/t from 104m (AMRC045); and

• 1m at 53g/t gold from 38m, 24m at 0.98g/t from 48m, and 9m at 2.45g/t from 84m (AMRC049).

Results have been received for 46 holes totalling 5263m, just under 50% of the planned 99-hole program totalling 10,000m. To date, 75 holes totalling 8433m have been completed.

Astral Resources (ASX:AAR) notes these holes have regularly intersected broad zones of gold mineralisation, demonstrating a strong correlation to the current Theia resource of 33.3Mt at 1.1g/t, or 1.15Moz of contained gold.

“As the results for the Theia infill program are received, our confidence in the robustness of the mineral resource estimate continues to increase,” managing director Marc Ducler said.

“Whilst not to oversimplify this process, this latest batch of results consists of 29 holes, 18 of which returned a reported interval in excess of 10-gram x metres2! Of the four holes that did not intersect significant mineralisation, three were drill tests beyond the known extents of the deposit.

“Broad zones of high-grade gold mineralisation have been a stunning feature of this infill program so far and, with these results to hand, we are getting more confident and more excited about progressing the Theia deposit into production as soon as possible.

“We have an ideal starter pit location with high-grade mineralisation being defined to an almost grade control standard already.”

Full article: https://stockhead.com.au/resources/astral-shines-as-thick-high-grade-gold-hits-from-infill-drilling-raises-confidence-in-theia-resource/