Forrestania Resources has upgraded the British Hill gold deposit resource to 126,290 ounces, more than doubling the previous estimate and significantly increasing the higher-confidence Indicated category. Ongoing drilling and development studies aim to further enhance the project’s value within the Forrestania Hub.
- British Hill resource upgraded to 126,290oz gold
- Indicated resource category grows by 180%
- Recent 19-hole drill program supports upgrade
- Three RC rigs continue resource extension drilling
- Conceptual mining and metallurgical studies planned
Significant Resource Upgrade at British Hill
Forrestania Resources Limited (ASX:FRS) has delivered a major boost to its British Hill gold project, announcing a JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 2.62 million tonnes at 1.50 grams per tonne gold, equating to 126,290 ounces at a 0.5 g/t cut-off. This marks a 131% increase from the previous resource, with the Indicated category surging 180% to 86,080 ounces. The upgrade reflects the success of a recent 19-hole drill campaign totalling 4,764 metres, including diamond tails, which has substantially improved confidence in the deposit’s continuity and grade.
Ongoing Drilling and Development Efforts
With three reverse circulation (RC) rigs actively drilling, Forrestania is pressing ahead with a 100-hole drill program approved under PoW Registration 208470. The current focus is on extending the resource along strike and down dip, aiming to convert Inferred Resources into the higher-confidence Indicated category. This drilling momentum dovetails with the company’s broader strategy to build a sizeable gold inventory within its Forrestania Hub, which also includes the recently acquired Edna May Gold Project, enhancing regional scale and processing options.
Chairman David Geraghty highlighted the project’s potential, noting that the combination of resource growth, drilling success, and strong infrastructure positions British Hill as a key asset. He also pointed to the ongoing technical studies and the opportunity to improve project economics through resource expansion.
Geological Setting and Resource Validation
British Hill lies within the Forrestania Greenstone Belt in Western Australia’s Yilgarn Mineral Field, a prolific Archaean-aged gold province. The deposit is structurally controlled, hosted in mafic and felsic rocks with quartz veining and shear zones typical of orogenic gold systems. Mineralisation extends approximately 1,100 metres along strike, up to 200 metres across strike, and reaches depths of 250 metres, with lode thicknesses varying between 2 and 20 metres.
The MRE was independently prepared and verified by Widenbar and Associates, a respected Perth-based consultancy. The resource model employed Ordinary Kriging techniques with detailed geological domaining and top-cutting of high-grade assays to 30 g/t. Drill hole spacing in the Indicated areas is as tight as 25 by 25 metres, supporting the elevated confidence in these estimates. Bulk densities were adopted from prior models and reviewed for appropriateness. The resource is reported on a dry basis and assumes open-pit mining economics with a gold price of AUD 5,500 per ounce.
Next Steps: Mining Studies and Metallurgical Testing
Forrestania plans to advance conceptual mining studies and metallurgical test work to assess processing options and refine project economics. The company has yet to incorporate environmental factors or detailed mining assumptions beyond open-pit scenarios, indicating that further technical work remains to de-risk the project fully. Securing a milling solution, potentially leveraging the nearby Edna May plant, is a priority as Forrestania moves towards development.
The extensive drill database includes 322 holes, combining historic and recent campaigns, with quality assurance and control protocols in place, including certified reference materials and duplicate sampling. Recent assays were conducted at Nagrom Laboratories in Perth, maintaining industry standards.
Positioning Within Forrestania’s Growth Strategy
This resource upgrade complements Forrestania’s recent $310 million capital raising and acquisition of the Edna May Gold Project, which together aim to establish two processing hubs in Western Australia. The company’s focus on consolidating regional gold assets and expanding its resource base underscores its ambition to become a mid-tier gold producer.
While the resource increase at British Hill is a clear positive, the path to production still hinges on further drilling to upgrade resource categories, metallurgical test results, and the outcomes of upcoming mining studies. The ongoing drilling campaign and technical evaluations will be critical in defining the project’s ultimate scale and economic viability.
Bottom Line?
British Hill’s resource upgrade marks a pivotal step for Forrestania, but upcoming drilling results and development studies will be crucial to unlocking its full potential.
Questions in the middle?
- How will ongoing drilling impact the conversion of Inferred Resources to Indicated?
- What metallurgical characteristics will influence processing options and costs?
- How will Forrestania integrate British Hill with its Edna May processing hub strategy?