PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Gold miner WPG Resources has reported a 27% increase in the mineral resource at its Challenger gold mine, in Western Australia, which is now estimated to host a resource of some 1.4-million tonnes, grading 7.6 g/t gold for 334 000 oz.
WPG said on Thursday that the restated resource estimate resulted from a change in the underground cutoff grade from 5 g/t gold to 3 g/t gold, positive drilling results and mining depletion.
However, the upgraded resource ignored the results of the Challenger Deeps exploration drilling programme undertaken earlier this year, a well as exploration targets for two shoots.
Chairperson Bob Duffin told shareholders that the project’s structure gave WPG considerable encouragement that its intensive focus on underground exploration had the potential to deliver further increases in the resource inventory, as well as the mine life.