Robust reports progress at Indonesia gold project

Australian mineral exploration firm Robust Resources Limited reported on Tuesday significant progress on the delineation of the Batu Mas and Batu Hitam discoveries on Romang Island, East Nusa Tenggara.

Initial results from a major 3D IP-Resistivity survey over the flagship Lakuwahi target, as well as new drilling results, significantly extends the discovery target zones and therefore the gold and base metal resource potential, it said.

The IP-Resistivity geophysical survey commenced on 24 March 2010 , and field data collection is approximately 50% complete, with 20% of information processed and modelled. Initial results of this modelling have greatly enhanced the Company?s understanding of the mineralisation controls at Lakuwahi. Moreover, the resistivity results have demonstrated a very strong correlation with drilling results to date, as well as confirming the continuity between Robust?s main drilled prospects; Batu Mas and Batu Hitam.

The Company?s aggressive drilling programme, which commenced in October 2008, now totals 75 diamond core holes for a total of 8,445 metres. Of these holes, 68 (over 90%) have intersected gold-silver and/or base metal mineralisation of potential economic significance, which is an exceptionally high strike rate for exploration drilling.

Managing Director Gary Lewis stated, ?In this latest stage of our exploration program, Robust has done the reverse of most companies in that we have drilled prior to embarking on the geophysical studies which puts us in the now fortunate position of being able to calibrate the geophysics with drilling data. Based on the excellent correlation of geophysical anomalism with the drilling data, the results have not only extended the Batu Mas target zone by around 20-times its current size, but also demonstrated that the geophysical anomaly clearly links the Batu Mas and Batu Hitam prospects. Whilst the Company had long suspected that this was the case, these latest results provide us with more confidence to move towards defining a maiden JORC resource from these two prospects alone. In addition, the IP has also identified a number of new drill targets, in particular those hidden under limestone cover, which we will shortly begin to target with our four owner-operated rigs.? (kanthi)