Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX:OBM, OTC:ESGFF, FRA:M6N) has significantly expanded the mineralised footprint at its high-grade Little Gem Prospect in Western Australia, with drilling extending the newly discovered Sapphire lodes across more than 2.6 kilometres of strike while delivering further strong results from the established Gem lode system.
The latest drilling has defined multiple parallel Sapphire lodes to around 200 metres below surface, with mineralisation remaining open along strike and at depth.
Standout Sapphire results included:
- 5 metres at 18.1 g/t gold, including 1 metre at 84.8 g/t;
- 2 metres at 44.3 g/t, including 1 metre at 86.4 g/t;
- 7 metres at 10.1 g/t, including 1 metre at 51.7 g/t; and
- 13 metres at 3.2 g/t, including 1 metre at 10.8 g/t.
Ora Banda has now completed more than 360 drill holes across the Little Gem and nearby Sunraysia prospects, with drilling continuing ahead of a maiden mineral resource estimate targeted for late 2026.
Sapphire lodes extend over 2.6 kilometres
The Sapphire lodes were discovered around 200 metres east of the Gem system and have since become a major focus of Ora Banda’s exploration program.
Mineralisation has now been traced south from the British Lion Prospect to Little Jewel, where drilling returned 1.2 metres at 25.6 g/t gold, including 0.5 metres at 64.9 g/t.
The system comprises several parallel lodes containing moderately south-plunging, high-grade shoots. Ora Banda said results including 5 metres at 18.1 g/t, 7 metres at 10.1 g/t and 13 metres at 3.2 g/t demonstrated potential for both open-pit and underground mining.
Drilling has so far concentrated on near-surface mineralisation, generally to around 200 metres vertical depth, leaving the deeper extent of the Sapphire system largely untested.
The company believes the high-grade shoots already identified provide a series of compelling targets for deeper drilling.
Gem system continues to deliver width and grade
Drilling along the Gem line of lode also returned further broad and high-grade intersections, reinforcing the continuity of a system now defined over more than 4.7 kilometres of strike and to about 750 metres below surface.
Key Gem lode results included:
- 18 metres at 3.4 g/t gold, including 1 metre at 20 g/t;
- 16.1 metres at 3.5 g/t, including 2.1 metres at 21.6 g/t;
- 1.5 metres at 34.9 g/t, including 0.5 metres at 90.4 g/t;
- 9 metres at 4.3 g/t; and
- 11 metres at 4.2 g/t, including 1 metre at 20.8 g/t.
The Gem system remains open at depth and along strike, providing Ora Banda with additional opportunities to expand the overall scale of Little Gem.
Managing director Luke Creagh said the continued growth of the Sapphire lodes supported the prospect’s potential to host substantial high-grade gold mineralisation.
“We continue to be excited by the ongoing exploration success across the Little Gem prospect, with the discovery and subsequent expansion of the system along the Sapphire lodes supporting its potential to host substantial, high-grade gold mineralisation,” he said.
“Exploration activity continues to progress at pace across Little Gem, with the team on track to deliver a maiden mineral resource estimate later this calendar year.”
Little Gem positioned near existing operations
Little Gem is part of Ora Banda’s broader Davyhurst Gold Project and is situated near the Riverina underground mine and the company’s Davyhurst processing hub.
The location provides strategic value, with any future development potentially benefiting from proximity to existing mining and processing infrastructure.
Ora Banda’s exploration model indicates that the Gem and Sapphire systems form part of a broader multi-lode mineralised corridor extending between Riverina and Sunraysia.
Ongoing drilling will focus on testing extensions to the high-grade shoots, improving geological confidence and generating the data required for the maiden resource estimate.