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- Stoping of the 1670 airleg stope is well underway with production over the last 5 days of 125 tonnes mined and processed. Today, concentrates from gravity processing are being further concentrated prior to delivery to the gold refinery.
- Commencement of drilling of the 1438 longhole stope commenced on 23 September and the Company expects to be blasting this stope within the next two weeks. Figures 3* and 4* illustrate the stope design targeting production of 660 tonnes at a conservatively estimated grade of 6 g/t Au.
- Preparation for establishment of a cut and fill stope in Decline 3 (1720 Stope) are progressing, with stripping of backs and installation of ground support underway to allow jumbo access for ore production in October.
- The mining team are preparing a development heading on the Amalgamated vein. This is part of the strategy of placing capital access development on veins outside ofthe resource, to quickly advance exploration by mining.
- Electrical power is now distributed to all development and stoping fronts. This has taken longer than planned due to delays in delivery and commissioning of specialised equipment suitable for small development headings.
- Underground radio communication is now installed and operational mine wide. The installation is to best practice reaching all working areas.
- A new Aramine loader was delivered on 23 September 2025 and is now being fitted out for tele-remote operations.
- Reward ore will be processed via the gravity only gold processing plant located at the entry to the mine. No chemicals are used in ore processing to produce gold.
- The underground mine ore will, over time, provide high grade feed to the gravity plant.
- Vertex aims to have developed multiple mining fronts, with over around 400m of strike to achieve continuous feed to the plant. The production ramp up is continuing
The first of these fronts is the 1670 Shrink Stope (airleg), which is now in production. The focus of this stope is low tonnage but high-grade ore.
The second mining front is the establishment of the 1438 Longhole stope, with drilling commencing on 23 September 2025. Figure 3* illustrates an oblique view of the stope while Figure 4* shows a typical drill plan section with the high-grade Mica 1 and Mica 2 veins within the design.
Longhole stoping is a mechanised and highly productive mining method that minimises development requirements. The 1438 includes two high grade veins within the stope which maximises extraction of the resource. The aim of longhole stoping is to provide base load production for gravity processing.
To support longhole stoping the Company has taken delivery of an Aramine 350D loader which is presently being fitted with RCT's remote controlled system, allowing the loader to be remotely piloted for bogging out longhole stopes.
The third mining front is the 1720 cut and fill stope which will utilise jumbo production to mine highgrade Mica and Mica 2 veins. New ground support is presently being installed, and stoping is expected to commence in October 2025.
The fourth mining front is capital development on the Amalgamated Vein as shown in Figure 9. This drive is designed to duplicate and parallel the existing access drive to the Reward Shaft, which will allow the mining of stopes along the existing access drive. It is important to note that capital development is placed on veins outside of the resource and in areas where there is no drilling. This strategy expedites exploration and new discovery through the geological sampling of the developing face and the Company expects that sections of this development will be economic to process and add to gold production. Additional development headings will commence as mine scheduling allows.
Vertex is in the early stages of the underground mine's development. The production ramp up has been delayed largely due to issues in delivery and commissioning of high voltage electrical equipment, however the decision to install 11,000 Volt power distribution will provide outstanding benefit over the entire mine life. Vertex is now into increasing production from the underground mine and anticipates continuous improvement in gold production over the remainder of the year.
The processing of gold ores without the use of chemicals continues to be optimised, with the focus on improving recovery as we switch from processing surface stockpiles to higher grade underground ore.
The Vertex Mining Team aims to exceed the highest safety and environmental standards as we transition to 100% underground mining.
*To view tables and figures, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/728Z10U7
About Vertex Minerals Limited:
Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX,OTC:VTXXF) is an Australian based gold exploration company developing its advanced Hargraves and Hill End gold projects located in the highly prospective Eastern Lachlan Fold Belt of Central West NSW. Other Company assets include the Pride of Elvire gold project and Taylors Rock gold/nickel/lithium project both located in the Eastern Goldfields of WA. The focus of Vertex Minerals is to advance the commercial production of gold from its NSW projects embracing an ethical and environmentally sustainable approach.
Source:
Vertex Minerals Limited
