GoldArc Resources has delivered robust assay results from its ongoing grade control drilling at Mt Stirling, revealing consistent high-grade gold intercepts across the deposit's eastern sector and reinforcing the potential for open-pit development under its profit share deal with BML Ventures.
- Broad high-grade gold intercepts across eastern Mt Stirling
- Ten intercepts over 7m at grades above 1.38g/t Au
- Narrow shoots up to 26.10g/t Au confirm structural controls
- 56% of 34,000m grade control drilling completed
- Results feed into mine planning under 50/50 BML Ventures partnership
Consistent High-Grade Gold Across Mt Stirling's Eastern Sector
GoldArc Resources (ASX:GA8) has reported a fresh tranche of assay results from its partner-funded grade control drilling program at the Mt Stirling gold deposit in Western Australia. The latest batch, covering 68 holes and 2,098 metres in the deposit’s eastern sector, confirms a broad and continuous ore envelope with multiple intercepts exceeding the Indicated Mineral Resource grade of 2.1 grams per tonne (g/t) gold.
Notably, the drilling returned ten significant intercepts of 7 metres or greater at grades above 1.38 g/t Au, including standout hits such as 17 metres at 3.48 g/t Au (with a 5-metre section at 8.56 g/t) and 20 metres at 1.85 g/t Au (including 1 metre at 13.00 g/t). These results provide critical inputs for pit design and selective mining studies, reinforcing the deposit’s potential for open-pit extraction.
High-Grade Shoots Highlight Structural Controls
Alongside the broad mineralised zones, narrow high-grade shoots continue to emerge, exemplified by an interval of 2 metres at 26.10 g/t Au from 6 metres depth. This confirms the presence of high-grade shoot architecture controlled by the Hydra Fault structure, consistent with prior drilling across the deposit’s northwestern and central sectors.
Such geological continuity across the deposit footprint is vital for refining grade control models and optimizing mine plans. The program’s systematic approach, with drill fences spaced 8 metres apart and holes approximately 6 metres apart, is designed to define ore grades and boundaries with the resolution required for production scheduling, aiming to reduce dilution risk and improve extraction scenarios.
Progressing Towards Open-Pit Development Under BML Ventures Partnership
Approximately 56% of the 34,000-metre grade control Reverse Circulation program has been completed, with further assay batches underway. The program is fully funded by BML Ventures Pty Ltd under a 50/50 net profit share arrangement, allowing GoldArc to retain 100% ownership of Mt Stirling while advancing mine planning collaboratively.
Managing Director Paul Stephen emphasised the significance of the consistent grade and width observed across the deposit: "These results continue to build a clear picture of the Mt Stirling ore body. The broad intercepts we’re seeing across the eastern sector are consistent with the grade and width we’ve observed across the northwestern and central sectors in prior batches. That consistency across the full deposit footprint is encouraging and will assist our ongoing mine planning work with BML Ventures."
The drilling samples are processed under rigorous QAQC protocols at Bureau Veritas in Kalgoorlie, ensuring data integrity for resource modelling and operational decisions. The deposit’s mineralisation is hosted within high-strain schistose-mylonitic deformation zones along the Hydra Fault, with gold strongly associated with silicified, sulphidic intervals enriched in arsenic.
Building a Robust Dataset for Mine Plan Optimisation
The cumulative data from five batches reported to date demonstrate lateral continuity of mineralisation from northwest to east, a critical factor underpinning robust mine plan development. This continuity, combined with the high-grade shoots, supports the design of selective mining strategies that could enhance project economics.
With further assay results pending, the company is poised to refine its mine scheduling and extraction scenarios. The ongoing collaboration with BML Ventures and the advancing grade control program mark important steps toward potential open-pit development at Mt Stirling, a project already boasting a 26,000-ounce Indicated Mineral Resource and over 170,000 ounces inferred across its Leonora North portfolio.
Bottom Line?
GoldArc’s latest drilling batch reinforces Mt Stirling’s geological continuity and grade, setting the stage for detailed mine planning and potential open-pit development under its profit-sharing partnership.
Questions in the middle?
- How will upcoming assay batches influence the evolving mine plan at Mt Stirling?
- What impact might the narrow high-grade shoots have on selective mining strategies?
- How will the partnership with BML Ventures shape the project’s development timeline?