Surefire Resources NL has announced a significant extension of gold mineralisation at its Yidby Gold Project, now exceeding 500 metres in strike length. The company’s recent drilling and metallurgical test work support plans for a low-cost heap leach operation.
- Gold mineralisation zone extended to over 500 metres at Yidby
- Large apparent mineralisation widths up to 36 metres indicating a major gold system
- Mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth
- Metallurgical tests confirm excellent gold recoveries supporting heap leach plans
- Further extensional drilling planned to expand resource base
Significant Extension at Yidby
Australian gold explorer Surefire Resources NL (ASX: SRN) has reported a substantial extension to the gold mineralisation zone at its 100% owned Yidby Gold Project in Western Australia's Mid-West region. Recent drilling results have expanded the known gold-bearing zone to over 500 metres in strike length, with mineralisation widths reaching up to 36 metres. This suggests the presence of a significant mineralising event rather than isolated narrow veins.
The Yidby project is emerging as a large-scale gold system, with mineralised zones previously identified up to 80 metres wide and anomalous gold extending over a 3-kilometre strike. The latest drilling, comprising 14 reverse circulation holes totaling 1,782 metres, targeted gravity anomalies identified through reinterpretation of geophysical data and structural analysis.
Drilling Highlights and Geological Insights
Key drill holes YBRC109 and YBRC110, positioned on a southerly extension of the interpreted porphyry system, intersected gold mineralisation over 32 and 36 metres respectively, albeit at lower grades (0.20 g/t and 0.10 g/t Au). These results confirm that the gold system extends beyond previous interpretations and remains open both along strike and at depth.
Earlier reported holes YBRC102 and YBRC103 had already demonstrated significant intersections, including 20 metres at 1.73 g/t Au from 80 metres depth. The broad mineralised widths and continuity of gold mineralisation reinforce the potential scale of the system.
Metallurgical Test Work Supports Heap Leach Development
Complementing the drilling success, metallurgical test work has confirmed excellent gold recoveries from gravity and cyanide leach processes. Recoveries ranged from 97.6% to 99.5%, with gravity recoveries between 43.2% and 67.0%. Notably, a 66.3% recovery was achieved on a coarse crush size over a 69-day leach period, indicating amenability to low-cost heap leach processing.
These findings support Surefire’s strategy to develop a heap leach operation at Yidby, which could offer a cost-effective pathway to commercial gold extraction. The metallurgical results also suggest that previous drilling assays may have underestimated the gold content, as bulk sample testing showed a 68% increase in gold compared to quarter-core assays.
Next Steps and Market Implications
Surefire’s management, led by Managing Director Paul Burton, has indicated plans to undertake a scoping study for the heap leach operation and to prepare a maiden JORC resource estimate. Further extensional drilling is also planned to test satellite targets and continue expanding the mineralised envelope.
The extension of the gold zone and confirmation of excellent metallurgical characteristics position Yidby as a promising project within Surefire’s portfolio. Investors will be watching closely as the company advances towards resource definition and economic studies, which will be critical in unlocking the project’s value.
Bottom Line?
Surefire’s Yidby project is shaping up as a significant gold system with promising economics, but further drilling and studies will be key to confirming its commercial potential.
Questions in the middle?
- How will upcoming drilling results refine the size and grade of the Yidby resource?
- What timeline and capital requirements will the heap leach scoping study entail?
- Could additional satellite targets materially increase the project’s resource base?