Astro Resources NL (ASX:ARO) is ready to hit the ground running at the Governor Broome Heavy Mineral Project’s Jack Track tenement, where a drilling program is scheduled to begin shortly.
The infill aircore program is designed to help upgrade Jack Track’s inferred resources to the higher confidence indicated category.
A bulk sample of the deposit’s heavy mineral mineralisation will be collected during the program, which will help Astro get a closer look at the ore’s grades and recoveries.
Beyond that, a scoping study — encompassing the entire Governor Broome project — is anticipated after the resource upgrade.
Big picture
Astro’s Jack Track drilling forms part of a broader campaign to unlock Governor Broome’s mineralised potential.
The explorer plans to drill 750 holes across four deposits, and more than half the holes — 440 to be precise — will be drilled across the largest Jack Track deposit.
Astro anticipates this initial drilling program will only be able to be carried out within those areas that are within bluegum plantations, as the onset of winter rains will restrict access to areas of pasture.
As a result, the company intends to drill the pasture areas next summer.
Upgrading Jack Track
Governor Broome’s Jack Track tenement is reported to host 61 million tonnes of inferred resource, grading 4% heavy minerals.
This resource is spread across the four deposits Astro will target with infill aircore drilling, designed to prove up the resource to the indicated category.
A bulk sample will be collected across the central portion of the Jack Track deposit by combining 5-kilogram samples from each metre drilled within the mineralisation.
This sample will be tested at the Allied Mineral Laboratories in Perth, to develop a preliminary process flowsheet and to evaluate the grades and recoveries of the target heavy mineral products.
Astro expects this test-work to begin as soon as assay results come in from those drilled samples.
On the horizon
Down the line, upgrading the deposits to indicated status and commencing test-work will facilitate a scoping study across Governor Broome.
Neighbouring the Jack Track tenement is Governor Broome’s R70/53 tenure, which hosts 52 million tonnes of indicated resource at 4.6% heavy minerals.
