ECR Minerals PLC Further Significant Increase in Gold Grades

RNS Number : 5542Q

ECR Minerals PLC

31 May 2024

 

ECR MINERALS plc

("ECR Minerals", "ECR" or the "Company")

Further Significant Increase of Gold Grades at Creswick

Exploration Activities Update

ECR Minerals plc (LON: ECR), the exploration and development company focused on gold in Australia, is pleased to provide the final bulk sampling results from its reverse circulation drilling programme at the Kuboid Hill site in Creswick earlier this year. Bulk sampling of drilled material highlights high-grade pockets of gold within the broader scale mineralisation footprint.

The Company also provides an update on its operations at Bailieston and Tambo in Victoria as well as its forthcoming plans in Queensland.

HIGHLIGHTS

·    Five bulk samples upgrade initial Kuboid Hill drill results. Most significant is the upgrade from 1m @ 1.04 g/t Au to 1m @ 8.37 g/t Au

●     Results expected shortly from photon assay pilot testing at Tambo Project

●     Analysis underway for antimony in selected diamond core from Bailieston, Victoria

●     Resumed field operations in Queensland at Lolworth Project, focusing on priority targets including Gorge Creek, Reedy Creek, and Butterfly Creek, with stream samples yielding up to 1395 ppm Au

●     Additional test work at Blue Mountain, Queensland expected to commence within weeks.

●     ECR is fully funded for its planned work programs in Victoria and Queensland in 2024.

Details of the Programmes

Creswick

As announced on 8 April 2024, a total of 1,032 metres of reverse circulation ("RC") drilling was completed at Kuboid Hill on 16 February 2024. This was the second part of an extended reverse circulation drilling programme at Creswick, following on from 522 metres completed at Davey Road where, as previously announced on 12 February 2024, ECR reported a best overall grade gold of 41.03g/t Au. The Kuboid Hill programme was designed to follow up on the Company's anomalous gold soil sampling campaign that was completed in 2022.

Final bulk sampling results for the outstanding 13 RC drill holes at Kuboid Hill, consistent with the results reported on 7 May 2024, have revealed higher gold content. This was anticipated because of the presence of coarse gold in the area. Five bulk samples are now evidencing significant intercepts, the most prominent of which is an increase from 1m @ 1.04 g/t Au to 1m @ 8.37 g/t Au in hole KHRC005 from 17m depth. The bulk sampling of the other drill holes did not return any reportable results. These findings support the presence of higher-grade gold pockets within a broader low-grade mineralisation halo at Kuboid Hill which differs from Davey Road's narrow vein, higher-grade style of mineralisation. The results provide encouragement that similar mineralisation styles exist within the Creswick license area.

Details of Significant Intercepts from the Latest Bulk Sampling (Kuboid Hill RC Drilling) > 0.5 g/t

HOLE	Sample	From	To	Bulk g/t	Original g/t
KHRC005	CRB1357	17	18	8.37	1.04
KHRC001	CRB1549	19	20	1.78	0.27
KHRC006	CRB1231	19	20	1.73	0.03
KHRC010	CRB543	20	21	1.03	0.51
KHRC001	CRB1539	10	11	0.71	0.03

 

Photon Assaying

ECR has submitted a number of Kuboid Hill bulk samples, as well as rock chips recently taken from its Tambo Project, for testing. Traditional fire assay methods will also be used to back up the results for comparison. Photon assaying is an emerging gold analysis method, which is environmentally friendly and available locally, providing quicker results with less preparation and non-destructive sample analysis. A number of well-known producing gold mines, including Fosterville, are currently employing this method of analysis.

Victoria Exploration - Tambo and Bailieston

ECR has now wrapped up its initial reconnaissance exploration on its Eastern Victorian licence at Swifts Creek, Tambo River (EL007484), focusing on the historic Duke of Cornwall mining area. The exploration team collected rock chips, including in-situ samples, and also completed a number of soil sample lines along the strike of mineralisation to identify pathfinder elements for future exploration programs. Initial findings from a year ago revealed arsenic, bismuth minerals and gold.

As previously announced, following the success of its stream sampling campaign at Bailieston, which produced best results of 798 ppb Au and 712 ppb Au, ECR is also re-analysing the core from its earlier drilling at the HR3 prospect at Bailieston for antimony. The Costerfield-Bailieston-Nagambie district is noted for economic veins of antimony and elevated antimony has been observed from previous pXRF analysis of the drill core.

Queensland Exploration Programme for 2024

Exploration plans for the 2024 season at the Lolworth Project, North Queensland, have resumed. Initial plans include following up on last year's stream sample results at Butterfly Creek, Reedy Creek, and Upper Gorge Creek, where gold samples of up to 1395 ppm were reported. Soil sampling is also underway on selected ridgelines above these areas. Additionally, a sampling program for Niobium and Tantalum will be conducted on the eastern side of the project area this season.

In Central Queensland, a trenching program is expected to commence within weeks at the Blue Mountain Project. Prospects with previous alluvial gold findings will be revisited where the Board believes there is potential for a significant alluvial gold resource. Investigation of hard rock prospects in the area is also planned.

 

Mike Whitlow Chief Operating Officer said: "These positive results from our bulk sampling campaign are highly encouraging, validating the significant potential value we see in our Creswick gold assets. The discovery of higher-grade gold pockets within a broader low-grade mineralisation halo at Kuboid Hill provides additional evidence that similar mineralisation styles may be present within the Creswick license area. The extent of our drilling programme, and the volume of bulk samples, took time both in preparation and also for laboratory results and, going forward we will also be utilising new techniques, such as photon assaying, to expedite the delivery of future results."

 

Adam Jones Chief Geologist added: "ECR is now entering a busy period with several exploration programmes underway across our portfolio of projects. I look forward to reporting back on the results of our initial exploration programs at Tambo in Victoria and our re-analysis for antimony in Bailieston. My time will now be focused on our follow-up activities in Queensland and I am particularly excited about the commencement of exploration at our Blue Mountain project where historical work conducted by the previous operator presents compelling opportunities, especially for its alluvial gold potential. At Lolworth, our soil sampling will follow up last year's discovery of gold samples with concentrations of up to 1395 ppm and, later in the season, we will undertake a sampling program for niobium and tantalum on the eastern side of the project area."

 

REVIEW OF ANNOUNCEMENT BY QUALIFIED PERSON

This announcement has been reviewed by Adam Jones, Chief Geologist at ECR Minerals plc. Adam Jones is a professional geologist and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG). He is a qualified person as that term is defined by the AIM Note for Mining, Oil and Gas Companies.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

 

ECR Minerals plc		Tel: [phone]
Nick Tulloch, Chairman Andrew Scott, Director
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.ecrminerals.com
WH Ireland Ltd		Tel: [phone]
Nominated Adviser Katy Mitchell / Andrew de Andrade
Axis Capital Markets Limited		Tel: [phone]
Broker
Ben Tadd/Lewis Jones
SI Capital Ltd		Tel: [phone]
Broker
Nick Emerson
Novum Securities Limited		Tel: [phone]
Broker Jon Belliss
Brand Communications		Tel: [phone]
Public & Investor Relations
Alan Green

                                                               

ABOUT ECR MINERALS PLC

 

ECR Minerals is a mineral exploration and development company. ECR's wholly owned Australian subsidiary Mercator Gold Australia Pty Ltd ("MGA") has 100% ownership of the Bailieston and Creswick gold projects in central Victoria, Australia, has six licence applications outstanding which includes one licence application lodged in eastern Victoria (Tambo gold project).

 

ECR also owns 100% of an Australian subsidiary LUX Exploration Pty Ltd ("LUX") which has three approved exploration permits covering 946 km2 over a relatively unexplored area in Lolworth Range, Queensland, Australia. The Company has also submitted a license application at Kondaparinga which is approximately 120km2 in area and located within the Hodgkinson Gold Province, 80km NW of Mareeba, North Queensland.

 

Following the sale of the Avoca, Moormbool and Timor gold projects in Victoria, Australia to Fosterville South Exploration Ltd (TSX-V: FSX) and the subsequent spin-out of the Avoca and Timor projects to Leviathan Gold Ltd (TSX-V: LVX), MGA has the right to receive up to A$2 million in payments subject to future resource estimation or production from projects sold to Fosterville South Exploration Limited.  MGA also has approximately A$75 million of unutilised tax losses incurred during previous operations.

 

ECR holds a royalty on the SLM gold project in La Rioja Province, Argentina which could potentially receive up to US$2.7 million in aggregate across all licences.

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