Rokeby Resources has extended a high-grade mineralised shoot at its Mt Wills Goldfield in Victoria, with a new intercept of 0.3 metres at 138 g/t gold. The result arrives as the company prepares an updated JORC 2012 resource estimate and awaits four more holes from its maiden drilling campaign.
- 0.3m at 138 g/t gold from 139.2m in hole 26SSDH004
- New intercept lies 15m from a previous high-grade result
- Hole 26SSDH005B returned two narrower moderate-grade intersections
- Hole 26SSDH005 was abandoned after intersecting historical workings
- Updated JORC 2012 resource estimate expected in early November
138 g/t Intercept Extends Sunnyside High-Grade Shoot
Rokeby Resources Limited (ASX:RKB) has produced its strongest result yet from the latest batch of Mt Wills drilling, with hole 26SSDH004 returning 0.3 metres at 138 g/t gold from 139.2 metres at the Sunnyside deposit. The intercept sits only 15 metres from the previously reported SSDH026 result of 0.8 metres at 208.9 g/t gold, according to the company, strengthening its interpretation of a continuous high-grade shoot over that strike distance.
The result is downhole width, not true width, and the geometry of the mineralisation remains incompletely defined. Even so, it gives Rokeby a useful geological marker as it works to convert a historical estimate into a JORC 2012-compliant resource. The current maiden Sunnyside drilling campaign was launched to test known high-grade shoots and build on the project's historical data.
Workings Disrupt One Hole as Deflection Finds Gold
The campaign has also shown why drilling an old goldfield is rarely a neat exercise. Hole 26SSDH005 was abandoned at 72.75 metres after intersecting previously undocumented historical workings. Its deflected replacement, 26SSDH005B, passed around the obstacle but drilled about 10 metres above the anticipated high-grade zone.
That replacement hole still returned 0.35 metres at 5.86 g/t gold from 71 metres and 0.1 metres at 4.73 g/t gold from 127.65 metres, alongside strong alteration and moderate mineralisation. Rokeby said all of the first five holes intersected mineralisation consistent with historical resource modelling, while Photon Assay and Fire Assay results showed only minor variability in the reported high-grade samples.
Four Assay Batches Remain Before November Resource Update
The nine-hole program covered 2,180 metres, and the drill rig has now completed the planned holes and left site. Assay results from holes 26SSDH006 and 26SSDH007 are expected shortly, while results from holes 26SSDH008 and 26SSDH009 are anticipated in mid-November. Multi-element results for the completed holes are also outstanding.
Rokeby is compiling an updated JORC 2012 mineral resource estimate targeted for early November. That work will test whether the new drilling can support more than isolated spectacular grades and establish sufficient continuity for a formal resource update. The company has also flagged an expanded drilling program as part of a 12-month work plan, subject to funding.
Historical 320,000-Ounce Estimate Still Requires Verification
The exploration story remains anchored to a historical estimate of about 2.4 million tonnes at 4.02 g/t gold for 320,000 ounces across the Maude and Sunnyside deposits. Rokeby explicitly cautions that this estimate was not prepared under JORC 2012, and there is no guarantee it can be confirmed as a current mineral resource after further work.
That distinction matters. The 138 g/t result is compelling evidence of high-grade mineralisation in one narrow interval, but it does not by itself establish the scale, recoverability or mineability of the broader deposit. The next assays and the November resource work will have to connect the high-grade points into a defensible geological and resource model.
Bottom Line?
The 138 g/t result improves confidence in the Sunnyside shoot, but the November JORC update must demonstrate continuity beyond narrow downhole intercepts and a non-compliant historical estimate.
Questions in the middle?
- Will holes 26SSDH006 to 26SSDH009 confirm the high-grade shoot along strike and at depth?
- What tonnage and classification, if any, will the updated JORC 2012 resource support?
- Can Rokeby fund the proposed expanded drilling program without changing the pace or scale of its Mt Wills work?