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Astral Resources NL (ASX: AAR) (Astral or the Company) is pleased to report assay results from recently completed in-fill and extensional RC drilling at the Hestia Deposit, part of the 100%-owned Mandilla Gold Project (Mandilla or MGP), located approximately 70km south of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia (Figure 1).
HIGHLIGHTS
- High-grade reverse circulation (RC) drill results returned from the Hestia Deposit at the Mandilla Gold Project, with best results outside of the current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) including:
- 10m at 6.35g/t Au from 133m in MDRC698;
- 6m at 6.07g/t Au from 85m and 6m at 1.85g/t Au from 103m in MDRC694;
- 5m at 1.97g/t Au from 44m and 8m at 3.61g/t Au from 95m in MDRC690;
- 9m at 3.21g/t Au from 192m in MDRC688;
- 6m at 3.02g/t Au from 97m in MDRC672;
- 3m at 5.20g/t Au from 176m in MDRC676;
- 2m at 5.47g/t Au from 52m in MDRC693;
- 4m at 2.64g/t Au from 129m in MDRC687; and
- 9m at 2.11g/t Au from 44m in MDRC689.
- Approximately 6,000 metres of new RC and diamond resource drilling has been completed at Theia to 4 April, with drilling ongoing.
- At the Feysville Gold Project’s Kamperman Prospect, a single diamond drill (DD) hole intersected a broad high-grade zone of 10m at 4.57g/t Au from 148m in FRCD208. This intersection is situated on a previously-untested sheared ultramafic/dacitic porphyry contact.
RC drilling confirms a high-grade gold zone extending over 300 metres beyond the current Mineral Resource at the Hestia deposit; Diamond drilling at Feysville intersects a broad, high-grade zone at Kamperman.
Astral Resources’ Managing Director Marc Ducler said: “The results from the Hestia in- fill and extensional drill programs have provided the team with confidence that the next update to the Hestia MRE will deliver a significant increase both in terms of ounces and grade.
“Recent diamond drilling completed at Theia this year also appears encouraging from visual inspection and, with assay results for this drilling pending, additional DD holes have been added to the program to both upgrade the resource classification and potentially identify additional gold mineralisation at depth below current resource limits.
“Our focus for 2023 is to increase the resource base to a critical mass that will support a robust standalone mine development at Mandilla. The results from Hestia are strongly supportive of this aim.
“It is anticipated that Feysville will represent a satellite ore source for Mandilla with new high-grade assay results from the Kamperman Prospect providing further encouragement.
“Astral has completed over 14,741 metres of drilling at Mandilla in our 2023 programs, with RC and diamond drilling continuing in support of our commitment to resource growth and continual improvement of the project quality.
“Assay results from the ongoing drilling at Theia are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
“Against the backdrop of a strong gold price and improving investor sentiment in the gold sector, a positive period ahead for Astral is anticipated.”
In addition, high-grade results have also been returned from diamond drilling at the Kamperman Prospect, part of the 100%-owned Feysville Gold Project (Feysville or FGP), located 50km north of Mandilla.
Figure 1 – Mandilla and Feysville Gold Projects location map.
MANDILLA GOLD PROJECT
The Mandilla Gold Project includes the Theia, Iris, Eos and Hestia deposits.
In December 2022, Astral announced an updated MRE of 30Mt at 1.1 g/t Au for 1.03Moz of contained gold1 for the Mandilla Gold Project.
Gold mineralisation at Theia and Iris is comprised of structurally controlled quartz vein arrays and hydrothermal alteration close to the western margin of the Emu Rocks Granite and locally in contact with sediments of the Spargoville Group (Figure 2).
Significant NW to WNW-trending structures along the western flank of the project are interpreted from aeromagnetic data to cut through the granitic intrusion. These structures are considered important in localising gold mineralisation at Theia, which now has a mineralised footprint extending over a strike length of more than 1.5km.
A second sub-parallel structure hosts gold mineralisation at the Iris deposit. The mineralised footprint at Iris extends over a strike length of approximately 700 metres, combining with Theia to form a mineralised zone extending over a strike length of more than 2.2 kilometres.
At Eos, located further to the south-east, a relatively shallow high-grade mineralised palaeochannel deposit has been identified.
Mineralisation over approximately 800 metres of strike at the Hestia deposit, located approximately 500 metres west of Theia, is associated with a shear zone, adjacent to a mafic/sediment contact, interpreted to be part of the major north-south trending group of thrust faults known as the Spargoville Shear Corridor. The mineralisation at Hestia, which is present in a different geological setting to the primary mineralisation at Theia and Iris, remains open both down-dip and along strike.
Locally, the Spargoville Shear Corridor hosts the historically mined Wattle Dam gold mine (266koz at 10.6g/t Au) and, further to the north, the Ghost Crab/Mt Marion mine (>1Moz).
Recent metallurgical testing2 on the Theia Deposit by the Company, has demonstrated, high gravity recoverable gold, fast leach kinetics and exceptional overall gold recoveries with low reagent consumptions and coarse grinding.
Mandilla is covered by existing Mining Leases which are not subject to any third-party royalties other than the standard WA Government gold royalty.
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This article includes content from Astral Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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Astral Resources
Investor Insight
Astral Resources presents a compelling investment case as an ASX-listed gold explorer with a 1.46 Moz resource base in Western Australia's premier Kalgoorlie region, anchored by its flagship Mandilla project which demonstrates robust economics with an AU$442 million NPV and 11-year mine life.
Overview
Astral Resources (ASX:AAR) is a gold mineral exploration company with three gold projects in tier 1 mining jurisdictions of Western Australia. The three assets are the Mandilla gold project, the Feysville gold project, and the Carnilya Hill gold project. The flagship and 100 percent owned Mandilla gold project has a mineral resource containing 1.27 million ounces (Moz) of contained gold. The other key project, 100 percent owned Feysville, hosts an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 5.0 Mt at 1.2g/t gold for 196 koz of contained gold . Feysville could potentially become a satellite source of high-grade ore feed for the flagship Mandilla gold project.
The scoping study completed at Mandilla unveils robust project economics. The cornerstone of the scoping study is the Theia deposit, which alone accounts for 81 percent of the total Mandilla mineral resource estimate. The deposit hosts a mineral resource estimate of 29 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold for 1.02 Moz of contained gold in one large open pit. The scoping study indicates a mine life of 11 years with an annual production of 100,000 oz in the first seven and a half years, dropping to 41,000 oz for the remaining three and a half years. The study outlines compelling financial metrics, including NPV@8 percent of AU$442 million, free cash flow of AU$740 million, and a payback period of nine months.
Astral benefits from a team of professionals boasting extensive expertise in geology and mining.
The company is led by managing director Marc Ducler, who has more than two decades of experience in the mining industry. The management team has a proven track record of executing several successful exploration and development projects, as well as M&A.
Company Highlights
- Astral Resources is an ASX-listed gold exploration company in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia, a tier 1 jurisdiction and a mature mining region with a successful development history and granted mining leases.
- The company has three assets - the Mandilla gold project, the Feysville gold project, and the Carnilya Hill gold exploration project.
- The focus is on advancing its flagship Mandilla gold project, with a mineral resource estimate of 37 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold for 1.27 Moz.
- The scoping study at Mandilla highlights the project’s robust economics with a mine life of 11 years, NPV@8 percent of AU$442 million, and free cash flow of AU$740 million.
- Mandilla’s cornerstone Theia deposit comprises 81 percent of the project’s resources, contains 29 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold, with 1.02 Moz of contained gold in one large open pit.
- Updated JORC 2012 mineral resource estimate (MRE) at the Feysville gold project is 5.0Mt at 1.2g/t gold for 196koz of contained gold.
- Including the Mandilla MRE of 37Mt at 1.1g/t gold for 1.27Moz of contained gold, Astral’s total gold MRE is now calculated to be 42Mt at 1.1g/t gold for 1.46Moz of contained gold (Group MRE).
- The company is led by an experienced team with a proven track record of advancing projects to development and M&A.
Key Projects
Mandilla Gold Project
The Mandilla gold project is located within the northern region of the Widgiemooltha greenstone belt, approximately 70 kilometers to the south of the prominent mining hub of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Mandilla includes four deposits namely, Theia, Iris, Eos and Hestia. The cornerstone of the project is the Theia deposit, constituting 81 percent of Mandilla's resources, totaling 29 Mt at a grade of 1.1 g/t gold, amounting to 1.02 Moz of contained gold in a single open pit. Mandilla has a total mineral resource estimate of 37 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold for 1.27 Moz.
The scoping study indicates a mine life of 11 years with an annual production of 100,000 oz in the first seven and a half years, dropping to 41,000 oz for the remaining three and a half years. Astral estimates the pre-production capital spend at AU$191 million, and the project is anticipated to generate a free cash flow of AU$740 million (assuming a gold price of A$2,750/oz). The project’s NPV @8 percent is estimated at AU$442 million, and the IRR at 73 percent.
Drill collars at Theia deposit
Astral continues to advance exploration and resource expansion efforts at Mandilla. The company recently completed a four-hole 1,762-metre in-fill diamond drilling program at the Theia deposit late last year. Best results included: 28 metres at 2.63 g/t gold, 15.5 metres at 1.81 g/t gold, 9.6 metres at 27.6 g/t gold, 2.4 metres at 169.1 g/t gold, 24.9 metres at 4.14 g/t gold and 72.2 metres at 1.15 g/t gold.
Astral has commenced work on a pre-feasibility study at Mandilla, which is due in the June quarter 2025.
Feysville Gold Project
The Feysville project is situated in Australia's premier gold belt, merely 14 km south of the Golden Mile deposit, which boasts 70 million ounces, located in Kalgoorlie. The project's updated JORC 2012 MRE indicates 5.0 Mt at 1.2 g/t gold for 196 koz of contained gold. Including the Mandilla MRE of 37 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold for 1.27 Moz of contained gold, Astral’s total gold MRE is now calculated to be 42 Mt at 1.1 g/t gold for 1.46 Moz of contained gold (group MRE).
At Feysville, Astral is focusing on the high-grade Kamperman prospect. A recent 31-hole (3,834 m) reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at Kamperman returned encouraging assay results. The latest drilling program returned best assay results of 33 metres at 3.75 g/t gold, 22 metres at 5.21 g/t gold, and 22 metres at 4.44 g/t gold. This high success rate continues to indicate that Kamperman has the potential to be a substantial source of high-grade satellite ore for the Mandilla processing plant.
Carnilya Gold Project
The Carnilya Hill gold project is situated about 20 kilometers south-southeast of the company's Feysville project and approximately 40 kilometers southeast of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The project encompasses various tenements – M26/047-049, M26/453 – spanning approximately 2.65 sq. km. Astral holds rights for gold mining, while Mincor Resources NL (ASX:MCR) holds rights to nickel and other minerals.Management Team
Mark Connelly – Non-executive Chairman
Mark Connelly is a mining industry veteran who has held positions of CEO and managing director with several multinational companies across many jurisdictions, including Australia, North America, South America, Africa and Europe. He has a proven track record in deal making and was principally responsible for the merger of Papillon Resources and B2 Gold Corp in October 2014 (value US$570 million), as well as the key person responsible for the merger of Adamus Resources and Endeavour Mining for US$579 million. He is currently the non-executive chair of Calidus Resources, Omnia Metals Group, Alto Metals, Warriedar Resources and Nickel Search.
Marc Ducler – Managing Director
Marc Ducler has more than 20 years of experience in the mining industry. He has held senior operational management roles with GoldFields, BHP, Fortescue Metals, MRL and Roy Hill. He was also the managing director of Egan Street Resources (a gold exploration and development company) until it was acquired by Silver Lake Resources (ASX:SLR).
Peter Stern – Non-executive Director
Peter Stern has experience in corporate advisory, specializing in M&A and capital raising. He has spent six years with Macquarie Bank and three years with UBS and Deutsche Bank. He is a graduate of Monash University with a Bachelor of Science (geology major). Stern is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the chairman of Troy Resources.
David Varcoe – Non-executive Director
David Varcoe is a mining engineer with over three decades of experience. He has extensive operational and managerial experience across various commodities, including gold, iron ore, copper, diamonds, coal, uranium and rare earths. His expertise spans board positions, operations management, project management and consulting. Varcoe is a principal consultant with the leading Australian firm AMC Consulting.
Justin Osborne – Non-executive Director
Justin Osborne is a geologist with over 30 years of experience in exploration. He was previously the executive director at Gold Road Resources (ASX:GOR), where he played a crucial role in developing the world-class Gruyere gold deposit (6.6 Moz gold). Osborne also held senior positions on the exploration executive team at Gold Fields. He was instrumental in developing the Damang Superpit project in Ghana and achieved significant discovery success at the St Ives gold mine.
Brendon Morton – Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary
Brendon Morton has over 20 years of experience, particularly in the global resources sector across Australia, Africa and Asia. He has held several executive financial and company secretarial roles with ASX-listed and unlisted companies in the resources industry.
Steve Lampron – Technical Services Manager
Steve Lampron is a mining engineer with more than 20 years industry experience. As well as having worked in production roles for companies such as Placer Dome, Barrick and North American Palladium he has also worked as a Consultant for over 10 years.
Julie Reid – Geology Manager
Julie Reid has 36 years of experience working across Australia, Vietnam and Indonesia, covering a variety of commodities in diverse geological terrains. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from Curtin University of Technology.
Gold exploration with highly prospective assets in Western Australia
Astral Resources Investor Kit
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