Heron Resources (ASX:HRR) has started a major drilling program...

Heron Resources (ASX:HRR) has started a major drilling program targeting resource expansion, geotechnical data and metallurgical sample material at its Woodlawn base metals project in New South Wales.

The company will undertake 7,200 metres of diamond and up to 5,000 metres of reverse circulation drilling.

This targets 12 known massive sulphide lenses that makes up the Woodlawn VMS system.

Woodlawn consists of the Woodlawn Underground Project that has total resources of 10.1 million tonnes at 10.2% zinc, 4.0% lead, 1.8% copper, 84g/t silver, 0.6g/t gold and the Woodlawn Tailings Retreatment Project that has Reserves of 11.2Mt at 2.2% zinc, 1.3% lead, 0.5% copper, 31g/t silver, 0.3g/t gold.

Drilling will delineate additional resources up and down dip in support of recommencing underground mining at Woodlawn, including the testing of the new Kate Lens, discovered in 2013.

The reverse circulation drilling will target the up-dip extensions to a number of the lenses that historically lacked access and were impeded by existing mine infrastructure that was constructed prior to their discovery.

With modifications to the mine layout these areas now have the potential to provide Heron with the early stage, easy access sources of high grade underground feed stock to the future processing plant.

An integral part of the program will be the further use of downhole EM surveying, the technique responsible for the discovery of the Kate Lens.

The EM loops are being designed to fit around the existing surface infrastructure and it is expected that they can be left in place to enable rapid turnaround of results to assist with concurrent hole planning.

Geotechnical logging of the core will provide critical input data for the selection of appropriate mining methods to be applied to individual areas.

This drilling program will also provide material for metallurgical testwork to commence on the Woodlawn Underground Project.

Additionally, sterilisation RC drilling is required in the area of the box cut and proposed plant site area. The final component to the program is the geotechnical drilling to finalise the access box cut location and design parameters.

The Woodlawn Underground Project has demonstrated extensions to high grade lenses.

Meanwhile, the Woodlawn Tailings Retreatment Project is well advanced with a Bankable Feasibility Study and Front-end Engineering and Design completed.

It also has opportunities for project optimisation.

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