New drill results confirm, extend VMS discovery on Romang Island project

By Nellawati

ASX-listed Robust Resources Ltd said on Wednesday that assay results for the diamond drill hole LWD 362 at the Batu Perak prospect at the company?s Romang Island project in Indonesia have been received, and the results again confirm and enhance the continuity, grade and potential of the Batu Perak VMS target zone.

Last week, on September 18, Robust Resources said that recent exploration activity at the Batu Perak prospect was enhancing project development options based on what was very likely to be a large VMS-style discovery. It said that the assays to confirm this discovery were pending.

The company said in its latest update statement that the assay results include:
- 20m at 1.99 g/t gold equivalent? & 4.64% combined base metals from 18m (1.08 g/t Au, 48 g/t Ag, 0.09% Cu. 1.62% Pb, 2.93% Zn) including:
- 7.3m at 4.57 g/t gold equivalent & 10.40% combined base metals from 19m (2.58 g/t Au, 105 g/t Ag, 0.21% Cu. 3.37% Pb, 6.82% Zn)

Drilling has already indicated that the Batu Perak VMS-style mineralization is laterally extensive and geologically continuous. To date, 10 holes have been drilled and each hole has intersected the VMS horizon and significant mineralization, the company said.

Based on exploration to data which includes drilling results, surface indications from geology, geochemistry and geophysics, it is possible to portray an exploration target at Batu Perak. The stratabound VMS mineralised body has been intersected in all of ten holes drilled at Batu Perak.

Reasonable assumptions of the lateral dimensions for the exploration target are 350m x 2,000m and a bulk density of 2.5 tons per cubic meters is assumed. Based on these parameters, an exploration target can be approximated at between 8 - 12 million tons of between 5% and 7% combined base metals (Pb+Zn+Cu), between I and 2 g/t gold and between 60 and 80 g/t sliver: approximately 400 to 600 thousand ounces of gold, 20 to 30 million ounces of silver, and 1 to 1.5 billion pounds of base metals.

?This potential quantity is conceptual in nature and only limited drilling has yet been done. There has been insufficient exploration to estimate a mineral resource and there remains uncertainty that further exploration will result in the estimation of a mineral resource,? the statement said.

Robust is currently drilling targets within the Lakuwahi Caldera with 8 rigs. Two rigs are dedicated to drilling the Batu Perak VMS exploration target. It is estimated that a preliminary mineral resource estimate for Batu Perak will be announced within 6 months but full assessment of the target may take in the order of 12 months.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak