PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Gold miner Northern Star Resources has increased the resource estimate at the Jundee gold mine, in Western Australia, by 68%.
The project was now estimated to host some 851 000 oz of gold.
The new resource estimate comprised 4.2-million tonnes, grading 6.4 g/t gold and included a reserve of 2.5-million tonnes, at 4.8 g/t gold for 383 000 oz.
MD Bill Beament said the increased resource estimate demonstrated the potential for substantial additions to the Jundee mine life.
“We have identified numerous target areas around existing resources as part of our strategy to grow the mining inventory at Jundee. We also have many new areas which we believe are highly prospective, providing further scope to grow the resource base and mine life.”
In fact, the company has an exploration target of between 1-million and 1.5-million in addition to the current resource, at between 8 g/t and 12 g/t gold.
“The scale of production, its high grade, low cost and strong exploration upside will allow Jundee to make a substantial contribution to Northern Star for many years,” Beament added.
Further drilling would be required over the coming 12 months to test and validate the exploration target.
The Jundee project produced some 75 390 oz in the June quarter, which was not attributable to Northern Star, as the acquisition was only settled in July.