ECR Minerals PLC (AIM:ECR) has ramped up activity across its Queensland portfolio, mobilising a drilling rig to its Blue Mountain gold project.
The company’s technical team, led by chief geologist Adam Jones, will bulk-sample and test a modified wash plant prototype on site, aiming to establish gold recovery rates and revenue potential.
Concurrently, ECR is reviewing larger-capacity wash plant options and exploring production partnerships to underpin future scalability at Blue Mountain.
"The next two months are expected to be pivotal for ECR,” managing director Mike Whitlow said in a statement.
“We are pleased with the strong progress at Blue Mountain, where the arrival of the drilling rig and our modified wash plant marks a pivotal step towards demonstrating the Blue Mountain project's production potential.”
Elsewhere, at the Lolworth gold and rare earths project, ECR has defined drill-ready targets at Gorge Creek West, Uncle Terry and Gorge Diggings following extensive soil and stream sampling.
A 1,500-metre percussion drilling campaign is set to commence in mid-July, focusing on near-surface mineralisation to depths of up to 70 metres.
Previous surface assays at Uncle Terry returned exceptional grades of up to 75.6 g/t Au, underscoring the prospectivity of the area.
“At Lolworth, we're poised to drill untested, high-grade gold targets in a geologically underexplored region, with the potential for significant discoveries,” chief geologist Adam Jones added.
ECR noted that it remains on budget and schedule across its operations.