Brightstar Resources Ltd (ASX:BTR) has picked up grades close to 30 grams per tonne of gold among a plethora of solid and shallow intercepts at its Link Zone deposit in the WA Goldfields, confirming the company’s expectations of near surface mineralisation across multiple lodes.
Intercepts from the final assays of Brightstar’s drilling program at the project included 9 metres at 4.4 grams per tonne from 18 metres, including 1 metre at 29.1 grams per tonne from 18m; 18 metres at 1.2 grams per tonne from 4 metres; and 1 metres at 20.2 grams per tonne from 16 metres.
The program – which comprised reverse circulation (RC) drilling of up to 30,000 metres – was focused on extensions and resource upgrading across Brightstar’s portfolio in the territory, comprising the Menzies Gold Project (MGP).
Brightstar is also awaiting results from 52 drillholes at the Lady Shenton System – with the work focusing on infill and resource upgrading – while also commencing drilling at the Second Fortune Gold Mine to ready pre-collars for a diamond drilling program.
Link Zone itself will also be involved in a program of geotechnical and metallurgical diamond drilling.
Managing director, Alex Rovira said the recent program of drilling would be integrated into upgrading work on the mineral resource estimate (MRE) and geological modelling.
“The shallow high-grade results inside the optimised pit shells highlight the near-surface potential of the deposits,” he said.
“With all assays received for the program, this new data can now be incorporated into updates to the geological interpretation and MRE.
“With the RC drill rig relocated to Second Fortune, the focus at Menzies can now switch to the technical studies required to assess and advance a potential small-scale mining campaign at Link Zone, with JT Metallurgical Services Pty Ltd and Operational Geotechs Pty Ltd engaged based upon their previous work completed at the Selkirk Mining JV.
“These studies will include new geotechnical and metallurgical data, provided by the diamond drilling scheduled to begin in the coming days, with this information to feed into re-optimised pit shells.”
Brightstar has been trading at 1.5 cents.