Strong new drill results expand alluvial gold footprint at Blue Mountain
and
visible gold and near-term production potential confirmed
ECR Minerals PLC (AIM: ECR) has reported strong alluvial drilling results from its Blue Mountain Project in central Queensland, providing further evidence of visible coarse gold and confirming the expansion of previously unmined, gold-bearing creek flats. The findings reinforce the potential for near-term, low-cost alluvial gold production.
A total of 19 drill intersections returned grades above the 0.15 g/bcm cut-off, with assays reaching as high as 6.52 g/bcm, pointing to nuggety, near-source mineralisation. Wash-plant trials at the Lower Patterson area averaged 0.35 g/bcm, in line with grades seen at operating alluvial mines in North Queensland.
Several areas — including Lower Patterson, Upper Kariboe, Windmill and Roan Colt — have now been identified as possible start-up production zones. Mineralisation has been mapped over roughly 250 metres of strike, with widths ranging from 6 to 35 metres.
Highlights
· Visible coarse gold recorded in multiple drill samples from the newly identified Upper Kariboe Creek alluvial flat.
· Continuity of mineralisation now mapped across approximately 250 metres of strike, with widths ranging from 6 to 35 metres.
· Grades exceeding the 0.15 g/b.c.m cut-off returned via 19 intersections, including standout results up to 6.52 g/b.c.m, typically indicating the presence of nuggety near-source gold.
· Wash-plant trial work at the Lower Patterson area continues to demonstrate practical mining grades averaging 0.35g/b.c.m, considered favourable to grades in operating alluvial mines across North Queensland.
· Multiple areas now identified as potential start-up gold production zones, including Lower Patterson, Upper Kariboe, Windmill and Roan Colt.
ECR’s Chief Geologist, Adam Jones, commented: “These are some of the most encouraging alluvial results we’ve seen from Blue Mountain to date. Not only have we mapped a continuous gold-bearing corridor across the new Upper Kariboe Creek flat, we are now also consistently seeing visible coarse gold in multiple samples. That is always an exciting moment for a geologist, as coarse, nuggety particles typically indicate that you are close to the source and that the system has real strength.
“Our drilling has delivered far more than we initially expected. We set out to understand the gold trail and the host gravels, but the results are now giving us a clear picture of multiple unmined zones that have the potentiual to translate into a near-term alluvial production opportunity. The combination of strong drill grades, visible gold and the successful wash-plant trials at Lower Patterson is building genuine confidence that Blue Mountain has the scale and quality to support a commercially viable start-up operation.”
