Intermin Resources Limited (ASX:IRC) has updated the mineral resource estimate for its Teal project area near Kalgoorlie as part of the company’s 55,000-metre year-long resource extension and discovery drilling program.
Drilling at Teal consisted of 182 holes to down-hole depths of 60-270 metres and has now been completed for 23,545 metres.
The company has advanced drilling at a number of its prospects over the quarter, including the Crake prospect and Anthill Gold Project, with further results and an Anthill updated mineral resource estimate expected in the December quarter.
Metallurgical test work is also being conducted on ore from Intermin’s Richmond Vanadium Project in Queensland.
READ: Intermin Resources extends Anthill Gold Project, resource update on the way
Exploration in the Teal project area has comprised infill, lateral, depth extensional and new discovery drilling at the Jacques Find, Peyes Farm, Yolande and Teal prospects.
High-grade reverse circulation (RC) results previously reported include: 10 metres at 6.70 g/t gold from 60 metres; 8 metres at 5.7 g/t from 64 metres; and 8 metres at 5.28 g/t from 64 metres.
Deeper RC intersections include: 8 metres at 10.31 g/t from 123 metres; and 8 metres at 5.88 g/t from 124 metres.
The drilling program extended mineralisation both along strike and at depth with four parallel mineralised structures identified along a 6-kilometre strike zone.
Teal’s updated mineral resource estimate is 4.25 million tonnes at 2.11 g/t for 289,000 ounces of gold, with over 85% now in the indicated category.
READ: Intermin Resources grows gold bounty at Kalgoorlie projects by 30%
RC drilling at Anthill, 45 kilometres northwest of Kalgoorlie, focused on resource extensions, with 15,010 metres drilled during the quarter and a further 1,666 metres in the northern area testing for new discoveries.
Results released in August from about 10,000 metres of drilling, at an average depth of 150 metres and maximum of 250 metres, indicated high-grade mineralisation.
The initial assays included: 81 metres at 1.48 g/t from 119 metres, including 2 metres at 11.9 g/t from 132 metres and 15 metres at 2.24 g/t from 139 metres; and 26 metres at 2.96 g/t from 174 metres, including 1 metre at 17.9 g/t from 194 metres.
Drilling has also discovered new high-grade mineralisation outside of the current resource envelope at Anthill, with the northwest-trending Zuleika shear confirming orientation and increasing strike length by over 200 metres.
Anthill has a mineral resource estimate of 1.42 million tonnes at 1.72 g/t for 78,000 ounces and is expected to be updated next quarter.
READ: Intermin Resources reveals significant gold hits from drilling at Anthill
Richmond Vanadium Project location and surrounding infrastructure
Other regional exploration programs are ongoing or have begun, including infill drilling at the Richmond Vanadium Project and drilling at the Blister Dam Gold Project.
Results from Richmond are expected in the March quarter of 2019 and results from Blister Dam in the December and March quarters.
Metallurgical test work on Richmond vanadium ore is ongoing, focused on optimising pre-concentration and downstream processing with results expected next quarter.
Ore mineralogy and particle size analysis has shown that around 90% of Richmond’s vanadium resides in fine fractions of the ore below 43 microns.
Richmond has a mineral resource estimate of 2,579 million tonnes at 0.32% vanadium pentoxide.