Spartan’s Pepper has the potential to turn Dalgaranga into a belt-scale gold project. Pic: Getty Images.
Spartan shows off a big W with Pepper’s belt-scale gold potential
Mining
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- Drill results reinforce Pepper’s belt-scale gold potential at Dalgaranga
- Third-best-ever gold intercepts across Never Never/Pepper of up to 638.5 grams per metre
- Pepper PFS and maiden ore reserve to be released H1 2025
Special Report: More incredible extensional and infill results and three new emerging high-grade discoveries are justifiably confirming Spartan’s Pepper as an emerging, belt-scale, multi-million-ounce gold system.
The latest batch of assays show huge intercepts across Pepper, with 638.75 gram metres – the third-best all-time drill intercepts on a gram to metre basis for Never Never and Pepper, with standout high-grade gold hits that include:
- 20.61m at 10.02g/t gold from 512.54m down hole DGDH076
- 13.79m at 46.32g/t from 601.59m down-hole, including 5m at a staggering 111.62g/t – down hole DGDH079
- 18.49m at 19.63g/t gold from 569.44m down hole, including 6.8m at 30.94g/t down hole DGDH081
Spartan Resources (ASX:SPR) interim exec chair Simon Lawson said that with exploration gathering momentum on several fronts, Dalgaranga is well and truly moving to the next level as a ‘belt-scale’ high-grade gold system with genuine multi-million-ounce potential.
“Our primary focus remains on growing the high-grade ounces immediately in front our processing infrastructure, specifically the 1.48Moz Never Never and the recently discovered 438koz Pepper deposits,” said Lawson.
“With three rigs now dedicated to infilling and extending Pepper, we have again demonstrated the incredibly consistent, thick and high-grade mineralisation that we have become accustomed to in the three new infill/growth drill-holes released today.”
Resource upgrade
SPR noted the current phase of drilling is designed to rapidly upgrade the existing inferred resource while also adding new high-grade ounces at depth as part of the ‘Target P1M’ program currently underway.
A drill drive of the Juniper decline is underway as SPR accelerates towards a production restart of Dalgaranga – underpinned by the high-grade 1.485Moz at 8.07g/t Never Never deposit.
“The exploration drill drive is also underway – taking us from the former Gilbey’s open pit closer to our underground drill platforms each day and the Spartan team is pretty excited to get down into the darkness with our drill rigs!
“We will be able to access the West Winds, Four Pillars and Upper Pepper target areas from the drive and ultimately land right in front of Never Never.”
Met work
Metallurgical wizardry studies are continuing, with the latest round of test work underway at Pepper in preparation for a feasibility study and maiden ore reserve now planned to be released in the first half of 2025.
“In addition, we have been systematically working our way north from Never Never with one dedicated RC rig and, as required, a diamond drill rig to test the geophysical targets we have developed and correlated with our successful structural targeting model across the mining lease,” said Lawson.
Exploration drilling
Multiple targets along the Dalgaranga Mineralised Structural Corridor have been identified with assays showing best hits of:
Never Never North – ~100m north-east beyond the E-W structure that defines Never Never with 7m at 6.09g/t from 60m down-hole, including 1m at 39.15g/t.
Patient Wolf – follow-up drilling at a coincident magnetic/gravity target ~500m north of Never Never: 10m at 5.77g/t from 138.00m down hole DGRC1474.
Golden Wings – targets beneath the former Golden Wings Open Pit, now Tailings Storage Facility: 30m at 2.7g/t from 115m down hole DGRC1460
“The assay data released to date from Never Never North, Patient Wolf and Golden Wings suggests that we have at least three emerging high-grade discoveries on our hands,” said Lawson.
“Given the success our recent targeting – and our ever-increasing understanding of the structural geology that hosts this high-grade mineralisation – we believe that this high-grade greenstone belt has a lot more to reveal.”
This article was developed in collaboration with Spartan Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
