Hawthorn Resources Limited (ASX: HAW) has announced the commencement of a two-stage, 8,000-meter RC drilling program at its high-grade Anglo Saxon gold project. Hawthorn Resources is a Western Australian focused gold exploration and development company. The Anglo Saxon gold project is located within the South Laverton Tectonic Zone (SLTZ) of the eastern Yilgarn Craton.
The drilling program follows a positive pit optimisation study conducted by Minecomp of Kalgoorlie, which utilised current gold prices, mining, haulage, and processing inputs for the project. The Anglo Saxon gold project at Pinjin is a joint venture between Hawthorn Resources, as Manager (70%), and Gel Resources Pty Ltd (30%), known as the Trouser Legs JV (TLJV). The project is situated approximately 170km NNE of Kalgoorlie and 35kms SE of Northern Star’s Carosue Dam operation and 25 kms north of Ramelius’ Rebecca development in Western Australia.
The RC program will be executed in two phases, starting with an initial 3,000 meters, and subject to results and interpretation, a further 5,000 meters will immediately follow. The primary objective of the drilling program is to enhance confidence in the current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 785,000 tonnes at a grade of 6.1g/t gold for 157,000 ounces at a cut-off grade of 4.5g/t, and to de-risk the first stage of a cut back and mining of an expanded open pit.
The planned drill holes are designed as a follow-up to historical drilling results, presenting an opportunity to extend known mineralisation or prove continuity between existing drill intercepts. Assay results are anticipated to be available progressively and will be reported to the market as they become available. Near-surface mineralisation has been largely exploited by open pit mining, and deeper drilling has identified mineralisation both beneath and within the footwall of the pit, as well as along strike to the south.
