Rumble Resources Ltd (ASX:RTR, OTC:RTRFF) has upgraded the mineral resource estimate (MRE) for the Western Queen Gold Project in Western Australia to 4.42 million tonnes at 2.02 g/t gold for 286,600 ounces — a 76% increase in indicated and inferred resources compared to the August 2021 MRE.
“We believe that Western Queen is one of the most underexplored high-grade gold projects in Western Australia,” Rumble managing director and CEO Peter Harold said.
“The 76% increase in contained ounces is an extremely positive development for Rumble and highlights the quality of the resources at Western Queen.
“We now have 286,600 ounces of gold averaging just over 2 grams per tonne on granted mining leases, within trucking distance of existing operating gold plants, historical production of 215,000 ounces together with significant exploration prospectivity.
Upgraded MRE
Diamond drilling completed in June 2024 prompted a comprehensive lithostructural review and reinterpretation of the Western Queen Gold Project and led to the remodelling of the MRE.
Importantly, indicated resources, which represent 56% of the total MRE, have increased by 142% to 2.39 million tonnes at 2.11 g/t for 163,800 ounces.
The Western Queen MRE is contained within granted mining licences, M59/208 and M59/45, and is within a 100-kilometre radius of three gold processing facilities — the closest being Spartan’s Dalgaranga Mill which is 48 kilometres by road.
Historical mining at the Western Queen gold deposits has produced 880,000 tonnes of ore at 7.6 g/t gold for 215,000 ounces.
The mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth along the 2.7-kilometre Western Queen Shear Zone and shows strong potential for additional high-grade resource growth.
Western Queen Gold Project – longitudinal section of resources, previous mining and near deposit exploration potential.
Drilling planned
Rumble is prioritising a significant drill program to commence early next month at Western Queen.
The program will include up to 10,000 metres of reverse circulation and 2,000 metres of diamond core drilling.
Preliminary discussions with drilling contractors indicate that a significant portion of the program will be completed under a “drill for equity” style arrangement.
Rumble has planned further drilling in the coming months aimed at significantly increasing the new MRE, consisting of up to 12,000 metres of RC and diamond drilling to test these underexplored areas.
“The exploration team is to be complimented on this work and we look forward to more positive newsflow from Western Queen including the results from the next phase of drilling as we move towards production from Western Queen South,” Harold said.
The upcoming drilling program will focus on several priority areas:
- The Princess deposit area between Western Queen South (WQS) and Western Queen Central (WQC) open pit has seen extensive historical small-scale shaft mining and only sparse exploration drilling has occurred below the upper oxide-transitional zone.
- Immediately below the WQS Resource - multiple high-grade lodes exist which are open at depth.
- Directly below the WQC open pit and underground workings where multiple high-grade lodes exist which remain open and untested at depth.
- Below the Duke Deposit, where mineralisation is open at depth.
- Over the 2-kilometre strike between the Duke and Cranes deposits. Limited RAB drilling with an average end-of-hole depth of less than 20 metres and three RC holes is the only drilling that exists between Duke and Cranes.
- Further northeast of Cranes the position of the WQSZ has been reinterpreted using detailed airborne magnetics flown by Rumble and remains untested.
Western Queen Shear Zone Prospectivity over TMI Airborne Magnetics.