Brightstar Uncovers High-Grade Gold Zones, Extending Laverton Mine Life

Strong Drilling Results Signal Growth

Brightstar Resources Limited (ASX:BTR) has unveiled encouraging results from its recent drilling campaigns at the Second Fortune and Fish gold mines, both key assets within its Laverton Hub in Western Australia. The company’s latest assays reveal high-grade gold mineralisation that could extend the operational life of these underground mines and provide additional feed for its planned Laverton processing mill.

The Laverton Hub currently hosts a Mineral Resource Estimate of approximately 0.9 million ounces at 1.7 grams per tonne gold, underpinning Brightstar’s growth ambitions. The new drilling results, from both surface reverse circulation and diamond drilling as well as underground diamond drilling, reinforce the continuity of mineralisation at depth and along strike, particularly at the Fish Mine.

Notable Intercepts and Exploration Targets

At the Second Fortune mine, drilling near the existing operation and regional prospects returned standout intercepts such as 10 meters at 9.83 g/t gold including a 1-meter high-grade zone of 56.9 g/t. Other prospects like Linden Star and Alawa also yielded impressive grades, with assays up to 53.8 g/t gold. These results highlight the potential for new ore bodies close to established infrastructure.

Meanwhile, at the Fish Mine, underground drilling targeting the conceptual ‘Stage 2’ mine plan returned multiple significant intercepts, including 9.9 meters at 2.90 g/t gold with a high-grade 1-meter section at 10.2 g/t. Surface drilling extended the known mineralisation to unprecedented depths, with one hole reaching over 544 meters and confirming the orebody’s continuity.

Advanced Geophysical Insights

Complementing the drilling, Brightstar conducted downhole electromagnetic (DHEM) surveys on selected holes at Fish. These surveys identified multiple conductor plates associated with gold-pyrrhotite mineralisation, some aligning with previously drilled high-grade zones. This geophysical data provides a powerful targeting tool for future exploration, potentially unlocking further extensions at depth.

Operational and Strategic Outlook

Brightstar is actively drilling with five rigs across its portfolio, including ongoing underground diamond drilling at Laverton and surface drilling at its Sandstone Hub. Managing Director Alex Rovira emphasised the significance of these results, noting the high grades at shallow depths near Second Fortune and the promising extensions at Fish that could underpin ongoing cash flows and resource growth.

The company is accelerating workstreams to upgrade resources and mine plans at Fish, aiming to convert inferred resources into measured and indicated categories to support future Ore Reserve declarations. This could enable mining multiple parallel lodes using existing underground infrastructure, enhancing operational flexibility and ore supply for the Laverton mill.

Looking Ahead

With further assay results pending and additional drilling planned, Brightstar’s exploration momentum at Laverton is poised to continue. The integration of drilling and geophysical data is sharpening the company’s understanding of its deposits, potentially setting the stage for a longer mine life and increased production capacity.