ASX-listed Spartan Resources has updated the mineral resource estimate (MRE) for the Pepper and Never Never gold deposits, part of its Dalgaranga gold project, in Western Australia.
The firm boosted the Pepper deposit, located on granted mining leases within 600 m of the 2.5-million-tonne-a-year processing plant, by 99% to 2.64-million tonnes at 10.31 g/t for 873 400 oz.
Interim chairperson Simon Lawson described the Pepper deposit result as “exceptional”.
“In the space of less than six months since we posted our maiden inferred resource for Pepper of 438 100 oz at 7.66 g/t, the drilling success we have achieved has translated into a phenomenal 99% increase in ounces and 35% in grade,” he said.
Lawson pointed out that 88%, or 767 200 oz, of the Pepper deposit’s MRE was classified at the higher confidence indicated level at a “spectacular grade of 12.18 g/t”.
“This provides unequivocal evidence of the exceptional endowment of this spectacular high-grade gold system,” he said.
The latest MRE propels the combined resources for these two deposits to 2.37-million ounces, grading 8.7 g/t gold with 1.87-million ounces at 9.81 g/t classified as indicated, providing a platform for a long-term, high-grade underground gold mining operation.
The indicated resources will underpin Spartan’s mine scheduling work and feasibility studies, which are well progressed.
During the year, Spartan has managed to grow the high-grade portion of the Dalgaranga gold project, including Never Never and Pepper, from 0.86-million ounces to 2.37-million ounces – an increase in contained ounces of 176%. 