Barton Gold (ASX: BGD) (OTCQB: BGDFF) has completed an 8,065-metre reverse circulation drilling campaign at its Challenger project in South Australia.
Kennedy Drilling conducted the 30-day campaign for a total 112 holes at an average 269m per day, including 180m for diamond drilling pre-collar work.
The work focused on optimising open pit targets at Challenger Main, Challenger West, Challenger South-Southwest, and Challenger 3.
Barton plans to follow it with a 1,490m diamond drilling program to support the optimisation of pit designs and metallurgical work.
Mineralised Resource Conversion
Barton is targeting the conversion of easily accessible mineralisation within Challenger’s resource estimate of 10.6 million tonnes at 0.92 grams per tonne for 313,000 ounces gold to the Indicated category, advancing to ore reserves on completion of a definitive feasibility study (DFS).
The study is targeting an initial four-year Stage 1 ‘baseline’ operation using historical higher-grade material from the primary tailings storage facility (TSF1) and other near-surface materials without disturbing Challenger’s underground mine, its mineralisation, or its infrastructure access.
It aims to defer the technical risk and cost of underground operations to a future date (following the de-risking of Stage 1), providing the company with further time to refine its development plans.
Barton is also planning to refurbish the historic Central Gawler Mill adjacent to Challenger, to enhance the development optionality of regional assets including the Tarcoola and Wudinna gold projects and the high-grade Tolmer silver prospect.
Key Work Program
Managing director Alexander Scanlon said drilling at Challenger had proceeded to plan.
“We are pleased to have completed this key work program for our ongoing DFS and we thank Kennedy Drilling for the safe completion of this campaign despite challenging conditions from recent extreme rain events across outback South Australia,” he said.
“Challenger’s considerable on-pit and near-surface gold mineralisation […] provides an ideal pathway for an initial operation that underwrites a restart with a reduced risk profile while maximising development optionality for the Challenger underground mine, Tarcoola, Tolmer, and Wudinna.”
Barton expects assays from the campaign to be returned during the coming months.
