Aurumin Ltd (ASX:AUN) has commenced site preparations ahead of a planned reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the company’s 100%-owned, 946,000-ounce-gold Sandstone Operations in Western Australia.
Aurumin’s Sandstone Operations is 520 kilometres north-east of Perth and includes the Central Sandstone (881,000 ounces of gold), Birrigrin and Johnson Range Projects (65,000 ounces of gold).
RC drilling planned targeting gold
All approvals are now in place for the planned RC drilling at the project. This will include following up on the recent result of 18 metres grading 25.8g/t of gold from 30 metres at the project’s Plum Pudding target, targeting resource extension.
The program will also involve second round drilling for mining lease gold targets including Mt Klempt South, Two Mile Hill West and Old Town Trend; plus the first drill program for the prospective Birrigrin, Dandaraga and E57/1140 projects.
Aurumin managing director Brad Valiukas said: “We remain focused on generating the critical mass required for future production at our Sandstone Operations, targeting additional open pit material to support an operational restart.
“This next round of drilling will look to expand the existing gold resource at Plum Pudding, flesh-out some of the confirmed new gold targets on the mining leases and step further afield to the Birrigrin Project and Dandaraga prospect to target some potential higher-grade sweeteners.”
Prospective iron ore targets to be evaluated
Additionally, Aurumin will evaluate historical drilling around prospective iron ore targets that were identified following promising rock chip results. No sampling for iron has been conducted on historical drilling samples.
The company has selected a number of historical drillholes for an initial evaluation of iron ore potential. Around 320 sample pulps have been retrieved and are being submitted for iron and multi-element assay.
The reprocessing and interpretation of geophysical datasets by the company’s geophysical consultants has provided improved visualisation of iron beds. The improved models assist in targeting both iron and gold mineralisation.
"As we consider the iron ore, it's a bonus that some of our targets are already drilled, never assayed for iron and have the pulps stored on site,” Valiukas said.
“We have selected samples from 19 holes that overlap with what we could have done as first pass drilling, following up the surface sampling and modelling.
“This is a cost-efficient assessment of the iron potential suggested by outcrop and puts us in a position to move quickly subject to results. We will finalise the next campaign as a whole once the now in transit samples are assayed.”
Testing both gold and iron-ore
The company’s planned RC drill program has now been expanded to test both gold and iron-ore targets. This is subject to results, the iron ore drilling to be finalised once assays are returned, with the drill program to commence directly immediately after.
Valiukas added, "The close proximity of the iron to some of our gold deposits, not to mention the potential value of the iron ore itself, could significantly alter the project economics. We have commenced multiple dialogues with interested parties around the iron ore, and it's clearly something that could accelerate an operational restart."