Rumble Resources (ASX:RTR) has announced a significant upgrade to the mineral resource estimate for its Western Queen Project in Western Australia. The revised estimate shows an increase of nearly 30%, bringing the total resource to 3.72 million tonnes at 3.1 grams per tonne of gold, equating to 370,000 ounces. Rumble Resources is a mineral exploration company focused on discovering world class ore deposits. Their primary focus is their emerging zinc-lead-silver sulphide deposit in Western Australia.
The updated resource incorporates results from 8,205 metres of reverse circulation and 2,453 metres of diamond drilling. The drilling efforts targeted extensions of existing mineralised zones and new positions at the Western Queen South and Princess deposits. This drilling program resulted in a 75% increase in the inferred resource, now estimated at 2.4 million tonnes at 2.8 grams per tonne gold, or 217,800 ounces.
The deposits remain open along strike and at depth, suggesting potential for further resource expansion through additional drilling. Rumble Resources CEO Peter Harold stated that the recent work has highlighted additional value within the Western Queen gold resource. He noted the re-interpretation done by the team, along with the inclusion of recent drilling intersections, has significantly impacted the reported grade and contained gold, particularly at Western Queen South, where the indicated resource grade has increased substantially.
The company is now focused on comparing the economics of a proposed open pit project with the potential returns from an underground operation. The Western Queen Project is strategically located in the Mt Magnet region of Western Australia, with access to three nearby operating gold mills, including the Dalgaranga Mill, which boasts a capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per year.
