Pantoro Ltd (ASX:PNR, OTC:PNTOF) continues to progress its strategy of expanding underground mining operations and scaling gold production from its Norseman Gold Project in Western Australia.
The company has updated on the initial underground development and diamond drilling results from the southern end of the Scotia orebody at Norseman.
By expanding underground mining operations and lifting production, Pantoro aims to increase production to +200,000 ounces annually in the medium term. Extension of the Southern Orebody is a key part of this growth plan.
Initial extensional and grade control drilling at Scotia has returned multiple wide, high-grade intersections from outside and inside the current ore reserve with a number of results exceeding modelled width and grade.
Initial extensional drilling has confirmed additional wide, high-grade mineralisation below the current mine plan, highlighting the potential for significant resource growth and extended mine life.
Growth drilling
Initial diamond drill testing beneath the current Scotia South ore reserve has confirmed high-grade gold extensions, returning results of 9.2 metres at 6.49 g/t gold from 197.45 metres and 5.1 metres at 5.98 g/t from 187.6 metres.
The significant intersection, around 70 metres below the current ore reserve, supports the strong potential for significant vertical additions to the orebody in the southern part of the mine.
Scotia schematic long section showing the current ore reserve and new underground drilling.
“These initial results from Scotia continue to confirm the quality of the Scotia mineralised system,” Pantoro managing director Paul Cmrlec said.
“We are particularly pleased the first of the extensional holes beneath Scotia South has returned outstanding results considering that these areas have been highlighted as a key growth target for the Norseman operation.
“We look forward to sharing further drilling updates as we continue to unlock the full potential of this high-quality asset.”
Pantoro is working to extend mineralisation in the southern zone to the same depth as the current northern zone drilling, which is some 500 metres below surface.
By extending the southern zone, Pantoro has potential to effectively double the ounces of gold per vertical metre in the mine, which would in turn allow significant production increases from the mine.
The current ore reserve stands at 1.42 million tonnes at 4.3 g/t gold for 194,382 ounces, and the underground Scotia mineral resource is estimated to contain 1.90 million tonnes at 5.2 g/t gold for 318,000 ounces.
Grade control results
The latest grade control drilling has confirmed wider mineralised zones than anticipated in parts of the ore reserve highlighting the upside potential within the high-grade ore system at Scotia. These wide zones will facilitate large, high-grade stopes that will greatly assist the ramp-up of production at Scotia.
Grade control results demonstrate both strike and width increases to the current ore reserve in the areas tested and include:
- 16.4 metres at 8.85/t gold from 176 metres,
- 9.7 metres at 5.68 g/t from 190 metres,
- 9.9 metres at 2.46 g/t from 130.6 metres, including 0.8 metres at 14.85 g/t from 139.7 metres,
- 2.4 metres at 12.66 g/t from 141.6 metres.
Drilling in the 5145 level compared with current ore reserves.
Ramp up continues
Development is currently accessing the highest grade and most continuous ore zones below the recently completed Scotia central pit which will continue to support the ramp-up of the Scotia underground production profile into 2025.
Production stoping in the southern part of the mine is well underway and the mine is on track for ramp-up to steady-state by the end of the March 2025 quarter in accordance with guidance provided prior to the commencement of development.