Robust intersects bonanza grade gold, silver at Romang project

Australia-listed firm Robust Resources Limited released on Tuesday the final assay results from diamond drill hole LWD102. The hole is a redrill of LWD098 which was terminated early due to technical drilling issues.

The hole was drilled at the Batu Mas prospect, which is situated within the large, highly prospective Lakuwahi Volcanic Complex on Romang Island, Eastern Indonesia.

Consistent with the pattern of previous drilling; LWD102 intersected an upper, near-surface gold-silver rich zone grading 2.37 g/t over 45 metres. Underlying this is a zone of polymetallic sulphide breccia mineralisation. LWD102 is particularly rich in silver and includes a zone of bonanza grades: 323 g/t Ag over 6m including 599 g/t Ag over 2m (gold grade is 6.33 g/t). This drillhole is situated in the southeast sector of Batu Mas and defines important extensions to the mineralisation in this area.

Highlights of LWD102 results are presented below:
Near Suface Gold-Silver Mineralisation
? 45 metres at 2.37 g/t Au Equivalent (1.15 g/t Au and 73 g/t Ag) from 5m including
? 6 metre at 9.42 g/t Au Equivalent (4.03 g/t Au and 323 g/t Ag) from 1 6m including
? 2 metres at 16.31 g/t Au Equivalent (6.33 g/t Au and 599 g/t Ag) from 18m
Polymetallic Sulphide Mineralisation
? 26m @ 1.02% Cu Equivalent3 (0.23 g/t Au, 14 g/t Ag, 0.23% Cu, 0.79% Pb, 1.12% Zn) from 56m

Robust Resources managing director Gary Lewis said: "LWD102 provides further support to the consistently strong precious and base metals mineralisation at the exciting Lakuwahi Project on Romang Island. Given the consistent rise in the silver price over the past twelve months, the bonanza grade silver assays only go to underline the polymetallic, multi-commodity potential of our mineral deposits.

The project is shaping up to have potentially commercial scale deposits of the precious metals gold and silver, and base metals: copper, lead and zinc. This combination of metals forms a ?natural hedge? and provides a more balanced risk profile as we continue to prove up the company?s resource base.

The near-record silver and record gold prices recently experienced are improving the potential economics of our resource base significantly, particularly as ratios of equivalent precious metal va1ues become more attractive. In fact, in our calculation of gold equivalency, Robust has used the 15-year historical commercial ratio of 1 ounce gold to 60 ounces silver. With the sustained increase In the silver price over recent time however, the current ratio would be around 1 (gold) to 40 (silver), thereby increasing the reported gold equivalent grades by 25-30%.

For example the intersections quoted above for LWD 102 become: 45m at 2.98 g/t Au Equivalent including 6m at 12.11 g/t Au Equivalent including 2m at 21.30 g/t Au Equivalent.

The nature of economic cycles has resulted in the past to base and precious metals running counter cyclical to one another, however we are currently experiencing pervasive, long-term structural changes to the world economy leading to buoyant prices across both commodity classes. Robust Resources with its world-class polymetallic Romang Island project is well positioned to capitalise on these structural changes, and take advantage of the ongoing economic and industrial growth in the Asia - Pacific region,? Lewis added. (kanti)