Hillgrove starts Sumba gold drilling campaign

Australian mining firm Hillgrove Resources Limited announced on Tuesday that it has started diamond drilling at the Pahandanjal prospect of its Sumba gold and base metal project in East Nusa Tenggara province.

In the first phase of the drilling program, it will diamond-drill 14 holes to a total depth of 2,000 meters. The Pahandanjal program is designed to confirm the presence of significant epithermal gold mineralization below existing trenches over the Western and Eastern Vein systems where high grade gold mineralization was identified, the company said in statement.

Eight holes will be drilled into the Western vein off four pads and these have been designed to intercept mineralization at 40-m spacing both vertically and along strike.

The Eastern Vein System is much more complex and is characterized by multiple lodes of various thickness which generally strike northwards and are crosscut by breccia zones of considerable width.

For the Eastern Vein, six holes will be drilled off six pads targeting broad mineralisation. Hole spacing will be 80m and final depths will be dependant on the rig?s capabilities given the broad targets.

A second larger man portable drill rig will be brought in if initial results are encouraging.

A second program of 2,000m will follow immediately after the first program if results look encouraging. A total of 8,000m of drilling has been budgeted for, depending on results.

The project obtained an Exploration Mining Business (IUP) license to Hillgrove?s Indonesian joint venture partner, PT Fathi Resources. The IUP has been granted for a term of six years and permits exploration for metals, gold and other associated minerals over an area of 999km2. Hillgrove has an 80 percent economic interest in the Project. (kanti)