Star Minerals Ltd (ASX:SMS) has struck broad shallow high-grade gold during reconnaissance drilling at the recently optioned Star of the East Project in the Murchison region of Western Australia, confirming the mineralisation in historical drilling and mining data.
The initial drilling program consisting of seven holes for 283 metres was completed in September this year.
Standout assays from the first phase include:
- 14 metres at 8.3 g/t gold from 15 metres downhole, including 8 metres at 14.2 g/t from 18 metres downhole;
- 6 metres at 4.95 g/t from 9 metres downhole; and
- 4 metres at 2.44 g/t from 16 metres downhole.
For now, the company said the success of the initial drilling indicated that the historical data was sufficiently robust to use for planning further work programs.
Drill collars with significant intercepts as labelled, with historical drill collars (grey and orange).
Results validate option signing
“We are very satisfied to have completed this first program and received these fantastic gold results,” Star Minerals’ chief executive officer Greg Almond said.
“The assays confirm our initial assessment of Star of the East and further support our decision to sign the option agreement to gain access to this gold deposit.
“The assays and geological logging provide further information that confirms some of our theories around the historic mining and mineralisation at Star of the East and provides encouragement for our future works to identify more gold mineralisation at this historic project.
“We are very pleased that this drilling shows gold mineralisation very close to surface, only 9 metres down-hole in some cases, which provides plenty of encouragement to the company as we continue working on this project.”
Historical evidence
About 40 kilometres south of the town of Meekatharra in Western Australia, Star of the East was first mined in 1897 after gold was discovered at the site by prospectors.
Star Minerals’ tenement E51/1561 contains remnant evidence of historical work, including an old shaft.
The mine produced about 27,700 ounces of gold during its life, working along a main lode down to about 50 metres depth, but none of its historic resources and production values are JORC-compliant.
Notably, the project sits just 2.2 kilometres from Star Minerals’ Tumblegum South Gold Project, which contains a reported inferred resource estimate of 600,000 tonnes at 2.2 g/t gold.
Star of the East location, part of the Tumblegum South Project area.
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