Results from the Cygnet fault system, about 150 metres from the Swan zone footwall, also support the potential for reserve growth. Key intercepts included 158 g/t gold over 1.8 metres; 142 g/t gold over 2 metres; 49.4 g/t gold over 4.1 metres, 27.5 g/t gold over 6 metres; and 67.1 g/t gold over 0.3 metre.
At the Curie fault at Robbin’s Hill new mineralization with visible gold was drilled 1,000 metres downplunge from existing reserves. Here the intercepts were 81.3 g/t gold over 2.6 metres and 23.1 g/t gold over 2.2 metres.
This year’s drill campaign is designed to increase resources and reserves.
Resource numbers for the company’s Australian operations were updated at the end of last year. The proven and probable reserves stood at 4.7 million tonnes grading 13.1 g/t gold within the measured and indicated resource of 35 million tonnes grading 3.2 g/t gold. There were also inferred resources of 27.7 million tonnes grading 3.5 g/t gold.
In the second quarter of this year, the Fosterville mine treated 170,315 tonnes of ore grading 29.2 g/t gold and recovering 157,993 oz. of the yellow metal.
(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)
