ASX-listed gold explorer, Torian Resources’ drilling program continues to impress with another clutch of encouraging gold hits at its flagship Mt Stirling gold project approximately 40km north-west of Leonora in WA. The Perth-based company says it expects to complete an interim mineral resource update for the project’s Mt Stirling deposit by month’s end. The existing inferred resource estimate for the deposit stands at 727,021 tonnes of ore grading an average 1.45 grams per tonne for 33,893 ounces of contained gold.
Notable drill intersections from Torian’s recent round of RC drilling at Mt Stirling were 6 metres at an average grade of 4.58 g/t gold from 49m including 1m at 10.54 g/t from 50m, 3m at 9.91 g/t from 158m including 2m at 14.51 g/t from 158m and 23m at 1.45 g/t from surface including 10m at 2.02 g/t from surface.
Some of the more significant deeper intercepts from the latest set of assays were 5m going 1.72 g/t gold from 232m including 1m at 4.24 g/t from 235m, 5m at 2.21 g/t from 308m including 1m at 4.63 g/t from 309m, and 13m at 1.44 g/t from 272m including 2m at 3.48 g/t from 274m.
According to the company, its drilling work has extended the interpreted strike length of the Mt Stirling “shear-hosted gold system” to more than 1.1km.
Torian Resources Executive Director, Peretz Schapiro said: “Cracking 1km of strike at Mt Stirling represents a significant milestone for our company. We have demonstrated that we are ‘on the system’, with our immediate task being to define the actual footprint of Mt Stirling, as it continues to remain open along strike and depth.”
“Results received continue to fill us with confidence that when our interim resource estimate is completed later this month, it will result in a significant update to our tonnage and gold ounces at Mt Stirling.”
Other recent gold hits amongst a string of encouraging drill intersections returned from Mt Stirling have included 12m at 4.74 g/t from 15m, 5m at 4.42 g/t from 73m, 2m at 48 g/t from 106m, 4m at 8.84 g/t from 187m and 3m at 5.35 g/t from 18m.
A handful of assay results are still pending from the latest campaign that will go towards the highly anticipated interim resource estimate update for Mt Stirling, Torian says.
In addition to the Mt Stirling deposit, the Mt Stirling project also hosts an inferred resource of 253,500 tonnes of ore at 2.01 g/t for 16,384 ounces of contained gold at the nearby Mt Stirling Well deposit. The company has also been drilling Stirling Well and says it is looking to update the mineral resource estimate for that deposit by the end of the June quarter this year.
Mr Schapiro said: “We will soon be actively following up with other high-priority targets in the region. For instance, there have been historical gold intercepts 1.2km north-west and along strike from Mt Stirling. We are excited about a potential connection between Mt Stirling Well and Mt Stirling.”
Torian hopes its massive 50,000m auger, RC and diamond drilling campaign at the project’s Stirling and Diorite blocks this year will turn up more gold in the region. About 14 million ounces of gold have been produced from mines such as Tower Hills, Sons of Gwalia, Thunderbox, Harbour Lights and Gwalia and the company’s Mt Stirling project neighbours Red 5’s developing 4.1-million-ounce King of the Hills gold project.
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