Astral Resources' (ASX: AAR) Theia Stage 1 results continue to beat the MRE grade — four batches in a row above 1.1g/t Au — as the company advances its in-fill drill program toward a Mandilla DFS targeted for March Quarter 2027.

High-grade results keep flowing at Theia as Astral advances toward DFS

Astral Resources (ASX: AAR) has released assay results for the next 41 holes (4,456m) of its ongoing Reverse Circulation (RC) in-fill drill program at the Theia Deposit, part of the 100%-owned Mandilla Gold Project located 70km south of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The latest batch returned a weighted average grade of 1.54g/t Au, well above the Stage 1 Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) grade of 1.1g/t Au, continuing a trend of results that are meeting or exceeding expectations across the program.

The program is designed to convert Stage 1 Mineral Resources to the Measured category, a key de-risking milestone on the path to the Mandilla Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and project financing.

Standout intercepts from the latest 41-hole batch

Stage 1 RC in-fill highlights

The following are the best results from the latest batch. All intercepts are downhole lengths; true widths have not been stated.

7m at 10.4g/t Au from 133m, including 1m at 53.0g/t Au from 133m and 1m at 17.8g/t Au from 139m (AMRC446)

13m at 5.00g/t Au from 36m, including 1m at 36.8g/t Au from 41m and 1m at 19.0g/t Au from 46m (AMRC431)

4m at 13.5g/t Au from 106m, including 1m at 45.7g/t Au from 107m (AMRC410)

11m at 4.00g/t Au from 34m, including 1m at 24.6g/t Au from 42m and 1m at 24.7g/t Au from 107m (AMRC444)

1m at 43.0g/t Au from 15m (AMRC433)

15m at 2.05g/t Au from 57m, including 1m at 14.4g/t Au from 69m (AMRC415)

Drill hole AMRCD374 — Theia Deeps highlights

AMRCD374 was an RC hole with a diamond tail, collared inside the Stage 1 pit footprint as part of the Theia Deeps program. The hole was terminated early at 318.9m, well before its intended target depth, due to excessive deviation. Despite not completing its planned program, it returned exceptional results:

The Theia Deeps program has been progressively extending the known mineralisation envelope below the Stage 1 pit shell, with earlier holes confirming high-grade gold continuity at depth before the current expanded 11,000m campaign was approved.

1m at 219g/t Au from 25m

3m at 15.4g/t Au from 141m, including 0.3m at 122g/t Au from 143.01m

13m at 2.29g/t Au from 62m, including 1m at 21.8g/t Au from 74m

3.35m at 5.86g/t Au from 229m, including 0.3m at 60.4g/t Au from 232.05m

Across its 319m length, AMRCD374 delivered a cumulative result of 426.5 gram x metres of mineralisation. Gram x metres is defined as the length of a reported intersection multiplied by its grade, and is used to express the overall gold content of a drill hole in a single comparable figure.

Assays are pending for AMRCD424, the third hole drilled from the same pad. Logging of the diamond core shows quartz veining and visible gold consistent with the MRE, and extending beneath the base of the Resource shell.

What is RC in-fill drilling and why does it matter for investors?

Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling is a method that forces air down the outside of the drill rod and back up the inside, bringing rock chips to the surface. Geologists collect and sample these chips at 1m intervals, giving a detailed picture of the rock and its gold content along the full length of each hole.

“In-fill” drilling refers to drilling additional holes between existing drill holes to reduce the grid spacing. At Theia, the program is tightening that spacing from 40m x 40m down to 12.5m x 12.5m, which increases confidence in both the grade and the continuity of the orebody.

That confidence matters because of how gold resources are classified under the JORC Code (the industry standard for reporting mineral resources in Australia). Resources move from Inferred (lowest confidence) to Indicated to Measured (highest confidence). Achieving that upgrade is a key de-risking milestone for the DFS and project financing.

Astral’s in-fill program is specifically designed to convert Stage 1 Mineral Resources to the Measured category.

Full article: https://discoveryalert.com/asx-stock-news/mining/aar-theia-stage-1-drill-results-high-grade-gold/