Arc completes initial scout drilling at East Sentul, East Java

Australian mining firm Arc Exploration Limited said on Thursday that it has completed initial scout drilling at the East Sentul Vein of it Trenggalek gold project in East Java.

Six holes (TRDD 11-16) were drilled along a 300 m long segment of the vein on three sections, each containing two inclined holes. All holes intersected substantial quartz vein zones of up to 5-10 m true-width. Best results occur to the south in holes TRDD 11 and 12 on section E-F, the company said in statement.

TRDD 11 intersected the vein at a shallow depth of only 25 m below surface and returned 0.9 m at 2.74 g/t Au and 7 g/t Ag from 27.4 m down-hole within a 3 m wide quartz vein.

TRDD 12, drilled beneath TRDD 11, intersected a 5-6 m wide vein at about 40 m below surface and returned 3 m at 5.53 g/t Au & 14 g/t Ag from 39.5 m down-hole. This includes a best 1 m intercept of 7.57 g/t Au. A breccia vein/stockwork zone intersected deeper in this hole returned a broad low-grade gold intercept of 16 m at 0.17 g/t Au with a true-width of about 10 m, it said.

These results and the previous results from West Sentul support an emerging picture that gold grades and width increase to the south and with depth on both veins. This, combined with ongoing vein texture studies, is interpreted to indicate that a high grade shoot or shoots may be developed to the south and/or at greater depth below the currently drilled area, possibly where cross-structures intersect the two main NE trending veins.

Further work at the Sentul prospect will now focus on the Southern Target Area. One rig is currently testing the shallow southern extension of the West Sentul Vein, and a program of soil sampling and possibly trenching, will be undertaken to locate any further southern extension of the veins.

Deeper drilling will be necessary to test the veins beyond 150 m below surface. This will occur once the remaining prospects at Trenggalek have been scout drilled.

Two rigs are currently deployed, with the second rig drilling a geophysical target at Dalangturu Prospect. Results from Dalangturu are anticipated next month.

Total depth that has been drilled is 1,593 metres, or just over 30% of the 5,000 metre program planned for this year. (kanti)