Broken Hill Mines Limited (ASX: BHM) has announced a significant high-grade silver-lead-zinc mineralisation discovery at its wholly-owned Rasp Mine in Broken Hill. Broken Hill Mines operates the Rasp Mine, which contains three silver-lead-zinc sulphide ore bodies, and also has a joint venture for mining operations at the Pinnacles Mine, processing ore at its Rasp facility. The company reported that its first-ever targeted drilling below the Globe-Vauxhall Shear into the Centenary Zone intersected a thick, 40-metre-wide mineralised zone. This promising result suggests a potential major new discovery of bulk tonnage ore located approximately 250 metres from existing operations.
The standout intercept from drill hole WMDD6391 returned 25.8 metres grading 11.7% ZnEq and 323g/t AgEq, including a higher-grade section of 10.9 metres at 17.3% ZnEq and 479g/t AgEq. Critically, this intercept is approximately 500% wider and 27% higher in grade in this location compared to the Centenary Zone’s 2024 Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 4.8 million tonnes at 9.2% ZnEq and 255g/t AgEq. This considerable increase in both width and grade points to substantial expansion potential for the Centenary mineralised zone.
Initial mineralogical investigations indicate a close affinity of the new discovery to Broken Hill’s historic Main Lode ore body, a potential step-change in the deposit’s scale compared to the Western Mineralisation. The company successfully employed an innovative drilling method, casing a large diameter hole to enable accurate ‘daughter’ holes through the historically challenging Globe-Vauxhall Shear. An accelerated drilling programme is now underway to confirm the discovery and define an exploration target, with an upgrade to the existing Mineral Resource Estimate for the Centenary Zone and Rasp Mine targeted for Q4 CY26. Further results are expected in the coming weeks.
