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Ora Gold Limited (ASX: OAU, “Ora” or the “Company”) is pleased to report assay results from infill RC drilling at the Crown Prince Project (M51/886) part of Ora’s broader Garden Gully tenure (Figure 1).
Highlights
- Ora has received assays for a 7,500m, 66-hole infill RC drilling program at Crown Prince. This drilling was undertaken to better define mineralised lodes within the south eastern zone (SEZ) deposit to upgrade resource categories within a future conceptual open pit area.
- This drilling has returned some exceptional grades and intercepts including:
- 20m at 277g/t Au from 40m including 4m at 1,368g/t Au from 52m (OGGRC859)
- 15m at 14.7g/t Au from 152m (OGGRC872)
- 9m at 21.44g/t Au from 28m including 2m at 77.8g/t Au from 31m (OGGRC883)
- 7m at 11.74g/t Au from 132m (OGGRC874)
- 11m at 6.72g/t Au from 4m (OGGRC886)
- 12m at 6.05g/t Au from 76m including 4m at 10.2g/t Au from 80m (OGGRC895)
- 9m at 6.27g/ t Au from 66m including 1m at 18.6g/t Au from 66m (OGGRC888)
- 7m at 6.87g/ t Au from 133m (OGGRC864)
- New very high-grade zones have been encountered in the footwall of SEZ lodes which will likely improve grade and tonnage estimates in this area.
- This infill drilling has generally confirmed gold mineralisation modelling and has upgraded the quality in many areas.
Ora is continuing to progress Crown Prince towards development, targeting production commencement mid calendar year 2025. Among the several workstreams underway, including regulatory approvals, the Company has completed infill drilling ahead of releasing an ore reserve.
The program was designed to target zones of mineralisation within a conceptual pit design at Crown Prince that are currently in the inferred category of mineral resource (refer ASX release 20 February 2024). This drilling successfully confirmed mineralised zones and improved gold grades in some key areas.
Other improvements from this infill drilling include delineation of new near surface high grade zones and parallel lodes in new positions in the footwall and hanging wall of the south eastern zone (SEZ) mineralisation.
These zones are within the conceptual open pit for the Crown Prince deposit and are expected to add to the mineral resource and future mining inventory. Importantly, the grades returned in this infill drilling support existing published grades and may provide a foundation for an uplift in the average grade overall for the resource.
Assay results discussed in this announcement are shown in Appendix 1 & Figures 2-5. RC hole details are included in Table 1.
Alex Passmore Ora Gold’s CEO commented:
“We are very pleased to report these exceptionally high-grade results returned from recent infill drilling. The infill drilling was carried out successfully and has confirmed or improved the mineralisation model we have for Crown Prince.
Such high-grade headline results demonstrate the high quality nature of the Crown Prince Project and point to its likely strong economics during development and production.
We look forward to providing further information on the updated resource estimate in coming weeks and then to follow up with an ore reserve as work progresses.”
Figure 1. Ora Gold Regional Tenements - Crown Prince located 21km north of Meekatharra
Figure 2. Significant gold intercepts from recent infill RC holes at Crown Prince
Figure 3. Cross Section A-A’ at the western end of SEZ Mineralisation
Cross Section A-A’
Infill drilling at SEZ has confirmed new FW and HW lodes outside the current mineralisation wireframes, with outstanding high-grade intercepts Including: 20m @ 277.36g/t Au from 40m (incl: 4m @1368.11 g/t Au from 52m) in OGGRC859 and 35m @ 2.96 g/t Au from 173m In OGGRC873.
Extensions to the current mineralisation model along section A-A have been confirmed by intercepts in OGGRC862, 875 and 872 which include 7m @ 6.87 g/t Au from 133m in OGGRC864 and 15m @ 14.7 g/t Au from 152m (incl: 1m @ 177 Au from 153m).
New high-grade intercepts in OGGRC859, along with previous intercepts in OGGRC477 have highlighted additional mineralised zones close to surface in the footwall, which fall outside existing mineralisation wireframes.
OGGRC873 has strengthened the current interpretation that the high-grade shoots at the southwestern end remain wide and continuous at depth.
The SEZ host geology consists of a series of coarse-grained amphibole dolerites and minor high Mg basalts which grade into an intensely sheared unit proximal to mineralisation. Gold is associated with classic, extensional mesothermal style quartz lodes with characteristic Fe carbonate +/- fuchsite alteration, with high grade zones occurring with sulphide laminations and microstructures that crosscut the early-stage white buck veins.
Recent infill drilling has confirmed that the mineralisation system remains high grade down dip, highlighting potential for future underground mining.
Click here for the full ASX Release
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OAU:AU
Sarama Resources
Investor Insight
Sarama Resources offers a compelling investment opportunity driven by a +US$120 million fully-funded arbitration claim and two new belt-scale gold projects encompassing 1,000 km2 of the Cosmo Newbery and Jutson Rocks Greenstone Belts in Western Australia’s prolific Eastern Goldfields.
Overview
Sarama Resources (TSXV:SWA, ASX:SRR) is an Australian gold exploration and development company with two key value drivers: a fully funded, multi-million-dollar arbitration claim and two highly prospective gold projects in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields. Each of these presents significant standalone value, while together they offer strong upside and optionality for investors.
Sarama recently secured the Cosmo Newbery and Mt Venn Gold Projects, covering 580km² and 420km² respectively. These projects encompass the majority of the greenstone belts they are located within - regions historically underexplored but geologically similar to the nearby Dorothy Hills belt, host to Gold Fields’ +8Moz Gruyere Gold Mine. Both projects offer a compelling exploration opportunity in one of Australia’s most prolific gold provinces.
In parallel, Sarama is advancing a fully funded arbitration claim against the Government of Burkina Faso, seeking no less than US$120 million in damages. The claim is backed by a non-recourse loan facility, with leading international law firm Boies Schiller Flexner - renowned for securing large settlements - engaged to lead proceedings.
The Company is led by a highly experienced board and management team with a strong track record in gold discovery and development, including the +25Moz Kibali Gold Mine and the +3Moz Sanutura Gold Project.
Sarama’s Regional Exploration Strategy
Sarama’s regional strategy is centred on unlocking value across 1,000km² of contiguous, underexplored greenstone terrane in one of Australia’s most productive gold provinces. With 100% control of the Cosmo Gold Belt and a majority stake in Mt Venn, Sarama is strategically positioned between two of the region’s most prolific gold belts - Yamarna/Dorothy Hills to the east and Laverton to the west.
Both projects share key geological signatures with nearby multi-million-ounce deposits and benefit from existing infrastructure and access. The Company’s exploration efforts will focus on high-priority targets across both belts, with systematic programs planned throughout 2025 to rapidly advance discovery.
Together, Cosmo Newbery and Mt Venn offer a rare opportunity to explore at scale in a region that has delivered some of the largest gold discoveries in recent decades - yet remains largely underexplored.
Company Highlights
- Sarama Resources is advancing two key value drivers: a fully funded, multi-million-dollar arbitration claim and two highly prospective belt-scale gold projects in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields.
- The flagship Cosmo Gold Project spans 580km², covering much of the underexplored Cosmo Newbery Greenstone Belt. Complementing this, Sarama holds an 80% interest in the 420km² Mt Venn Project, located just 40km from both its Cosmo Project and Goldfields +8Moz Gruyere Gold Mine. The region has remained largely under-explored due to historical access restrictions, leaving considerable untapped potential.
- The Company is also pursuing a fully funded arbitration claim seeking not less than US$120 million in damages from the Government of Burkina Faso. This claim, related to the Sanutura Project, is supported by a non-recourse funding facility covering all legal costs, with formal proceedings initiated in December 2024.
- Sarama is led by a seasoned team with all members having over 30 years’ experience each and a strong track record in gold discovery and development.
Key Projects
Cosmo Newbery Gold Project
The Cosmo Gold Project is a unique, underexplored, belt-scale gold opportunity in Western Australia's prolific Eastern Goldfields. Sarama holds the entire Cosmo Newbery Greenstone Belt under granted exploration licenses covering approximately 583km². The belt is one of the few remaining greenstone belts in Western Australia to have seen little to no modern exploration.
The project is located approximately 85 km northeast of Laverton and 95 km west of the +8Moz Gruyere Gold Mine, operated by Gold Fields and Gold Road. The surrounding region hosts several world-class gold systems, including the Yamarna and Dorothy Hills belts to the east (home to Gruyere, the 1Moz Golden Highway, and 300koz Gilmore deposits) and the Laverton Belt to the west, with over 35Moz in gold endowment and 12Moz of historic production.
Cosmo shares strong geological and structural similarities with these prolific belts. Key elements of orogenic gold systems are present, including:
- Archaean greenstone lithologies
- Crustal-scale shear zones
- Felsic intrusions
- Localised faulting and shearing
- Historic gold mineralisation and high-grade rock chips (up to 52 g/t Au)
Despite gold first being discovered here in the 1890s, the region has seen virtually no modern exploration or drilling, offering a unique opportunity to unlock value in a highly prospective setting.
Project Highlights
- Proven Gold Terrane: Located in a world-class gold province surrounded by major deposits
- Scale and Control: 100% control of the entire Cosmo-Newbery Belt, spanning +50 km of strike
- Underexplored: Minimal historical exploration; no modern drilling of merit
- Historic Potential: Early gold discoveries in the 1890s with artisanal workings still visible
- Strategic Location: Proximal to major gold operations including the Gruyere Gold Mine and multiple large scale mines in the Laverton gold belt
Mt Venn Gold Project
The Mt Venn Gold Project is a large-scale, underexplored gold exploration asset in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields, located approximately 40 km east of Sarama’s Cosmo Newbery Gold Project and 40 km west of the +8Moz Gruyere Gold Mine. Sarama holds an 80% interest in the project, which spans 420km² across a substantial portion of the Jutson Rocks Greenstone Belt - a geologically prospective system with gold first discovered in the 1890s.
Mt Venn shares many geological similarities with the Cosmo Project, and is viewed as a complementary, belt-scale exploration opportunity. The project comprises three contiguous exploration tenements and hosts a 35km gold corridor, defined by semi-continuous gold-in-soil anomalies, historic workings, and encouraging drill intercepts. Historic drilling has returned multiple results of merit, including intercepts up to 8.5 g/t Au, over a 4km trend at the Three Bears Prospect.
Geologically, Mt Venn is highly prospective, featuring:
- Archaean greenstone lithologies
- A major regional shear zone running the full 50km length of the belt (1–3 km wide)
- Favourable structural and lithological settings for orogenic gold mineralisation
Despite early discoveries, the project will benefit from a systematic, project-wide approach to exploration and offers substantial discovery potential in a proven gold district.
Project Highlights
- Proven Gold Terrane: Covers a significant part of the Jutson Rocks Greenstone Belt in a region known for major gold discoveries
- Contiguous Tenure: 420km² across three tenements, including a 35km anomalous gold corridor
- Geological Potential: Hosts a large regional shear zone with associated gold mineralisation and strong structural controls
- Historic Workings: Gold discovered in the 1890s; limited systematic follow-up exploration
- Drill-Ready Targets: Historical drilling includes intercepts up to 8.5 g/t Au at the Three Bears Prospect
- Strategic Location: Positioned 40 km from Gruyere (+8Moz), 20 km from the 1Moz Golden Highway deposit, and 40 km from Sarama’s Cosmo Gold Project
Management Team
Andrew Dinning – Executive Chairman
Andrew Dinning is a founder and the Executive Chairman of Sarama Resources. Dinning has over 35 years of experience in the international mining arena and has worked in Australia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, West Africa, the UK and Russia. He has extensive mine management, operations and capital markets experience and has spent most of his career in the gold sector.
Dinning was a Director and President of the Democratic Republic of Congo-based Moto Goldmines Ltd from 2005 to 2009. He oversaw the development of the company's Moto Gold Project (Kibali Gold) from two million to more than 22 million ounces of gold. Dinning took the project from exploration to pre-development. The Moto Gold project was later taken over by Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti for $600 million in October 2009.
Dinning has an MBA, a First-Class Mine Managers Certificate in Western Australia and South Australia and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mining degree.
John (Jack) Hamilton - Vice-president of Exploration
Jack Hamilton is a founder and the Vice President of Exploration at Sarama Resources. Hamilton has 35 years of experience as a professional geologist. Hamilton has worked around the world for international resource companies. Before Sarama, he was the exploration manager for Moto Goldmines in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At Moto Goldmines, he led the team that discovered the main deposits and resource at the world-class Moto Gold Project (now Kibali Gold) which has a resource of more than 22 million ounces.
Hamilton specializes in precious metal exploration in Birimian, Archean and Proterozoic greenstone belts. He has worked and consulted in West, Central and East Africa for the past 30 years with various companies, including Barrick Gold Corporation, Echo Bay Mines, Etruscan Resources Inc, Anglo American, Geo Services International and Moto Goldmines. Whilst at Moto Goldmines, he led the exploration team that took the Moto gold deposit from discovery to bankable feasibility. The Moto gold deposit was later sold to Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti in October 2009.
Paul Schmiede - Vice-president of Corporate Development
Paul Schmiede is a major shareholder and the Vice President of Corporate Development at Sarama Resources. He is a mining engineer with over 30 years of experience in mining and exploration. Before joining Sarama Resources in 2010, Schmiede was Vice President of Operations and Project Development at Moto Goldmines. At Moto Goldmines, he managed the pre-feasibility, bankable and definitive feasibility study for the more than 22 million-ounce Democratic Republic of Congo-based Moto Gold Project (now Kibali Gold). Whilst at Moto Goldmines, he also managed the in-country environment, community studies and pre-construction activities. Before joining Moto Goldmines, he held senior operational and management positions with Goldfields and WMC Resources. At these companies, Schmiede was responsible for underground and open-pit operations as well as project development and planning.
Schmiede holds a first-class mine managers certificate in Western Australia and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mining degree. He is also a fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Lui Evangelista - Chief Financial Officer
Lui Evangelista is Sarama's chief financial officer with 35 years of experience in accounting, finance and corporate governance with public companies. He has more than 20 years of experience in the mining industry - 10 years of which have been at the operational and corporate level with companies operating in Francophone Africa.
Evangelista held the positions of group financial controller and acting CFO at Anvil Mining which operated 3 mines in the DRC. He was an integral part of the senior management team that saw Anvil's market capitalization grow from C$100 million in 2005 to C$1.3 billion upon takeover by Minmetals in 2012.
Evangelista holds a Bachelor of Business in Accounting degree, a graduate diploma in business administration and a graduate diploma in applied corporate governance.
Simon Jackson - Non-executive Director
Simon Jackson is a founder, shareholder and non-executive chairman of Sarama Resources. Jackson is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years of experience in the mining sector. He is the Chairman of Predictive Discovery and Non-Executive Director of African gold producer Resolute Mining. He has previously held senior management positions at Red Back Mining, Orca Gold and Beadell Resources.
Jackson specializes in M&A, public equity capital markets, management and corporate finance. His career has included corporate transactions in Canada, Australia, Africa and Indonesia. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Western Australia and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.
Adrian Byass - Non-executive Director
Adrian Byass has more than 30 years of experience in the mining industry. He has focused his career on the economic development of mineral resources. He is skilled in economic and resource geology. Byass has experience ranging from production in gold and nickel mines to the evaluation and development of mining projects with listed and unlisted entities in multiple countries. He has also held executive and non-executive board roles on both ASX and AIM-listed companies.
Byass presently operates in a corporate and market-focused capacity on a national and international basis. He has board-level experience in mine development, capital raising and M&A in Australia and on overseas stock exchanges. Byass has played key roles in a range of exploration and mining projects in Australia, Africa, North America and Europe. These projects were based on a suite of commodities including gold, base and specialty metals.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology and a Bachelor of Economics. Byass is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, a fellow of the Society of Economic Geology and a competent person for the reporting of mineral resources (JORC 2012).
Michael Bohm - Non-executive Director
Michael Bohm is a seasoned director and mining engineer in the resources industry. His career spans roles as a mining engineer, mine manager, study manager, project manager, project director, and managing director.
He has been directly involved in the development of multiple mines in the gold, nickel, and diamond industries, and made significant contributions to Ramelius Resources during its formative years. This experience is particularly important as Sarama is currently in the process of rebuilding its operations in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia.
He is a current director of ASX-listed Riedel Resources and has previously been a director of ASX listed Perseus Mining, Ramelius Resources, Mincor Resources NL and Cygnus Metals.
