Robust Resources intersects high grade gold, copper on Romang Island

By Puspita Maylana Devi

ASX-listed Robust Resources Limited announced that it has received assay results from 26 drillholes from the Batu Hitam East prospect, Lakuwahi Project, Romang Island, Indonesia.

The results received are from the drilling program completed in 2012, which was designed to support the potential upgrade of the resource model and expansion of the resource base, the company said in a statement obtained Tuesday.

The near-surface, high grade gold and silver intersections received from Batu Hitam East support the company?s objective to identify additional oxide material to be used as early stage feed to the intended heap leach mining operation.

In addition to supporting the potential for an updated and expanded resource estimate, the drilling has confirmed that the mineralization remains open to the south, east and north. These areas will be subject to ongoing drilling to test extensions to known mineralized zones.

For example, the company is currently drill testing the area immediately to the south of LWD 306 where drilling intersected strong shallow gold and silver mineralization:

LWD 306: 30m @ 3.13 g/t Au Eq from 11m (2.28 g/t Au, 40 g/t Ag) including:
8m @ 10.24 g/t Au Eq from 15.5m (7.66 g/t Au, 121 g/t Ag)

LWD 306 is proximal to previously released high-grade gold intersections, such as the deep breccia-hosted zone in LWD 122 and the sub-limestone intersection in LWD 108:

LWD 108: 16m @ 3.10 g/t Au Eq from 30m (1.42 g/t Au, 81 g/t Ag) including:
5m @ 5.55 g/t Au Eq from 31m (3.00 g/t Au, 122 g/t Ag)

LWD 122: 10m @ 5.14 g/t Au Eq from 115m (4.88 g/t Au, 13 g/t Ag)

The LWD 306 intersection is predominantly oxide and is situated below a layer of fresh to altered limestone. The geology of the continuous, sub-horizontal, ore-zone at Batu Hitam East is well understood by the company and the nature of results received from recent drilling provide support to the objective to update the resource model and upgrade the JORC resource estimate into the measured and/or Indicated categories.

It is notable that high grade copper mineralization was intersected in hole LWD 256, which remains open to the south and west.

LWD 256: 5m @ 3.01% Cu from 20m

?The drilling in late 2012 at Batu Hitam East was designed to delineate near surface oxide and transition gold-silver mineralization which could add to the existing oxide mineral resources. The company is encouraged by the results, with mineralization in all holes, and is continuing the drilling program to test high-grade targets and extensions to the mineralization encountered,? said Robust Managing Director, Gary Lewis.

?The results received illustrate the potential for further oxide gold and silver mineralization, and we expect this to assist in building the ore feed for the planned heap leach operation, once in production.

?These and other recently announced results are expected to support an updated resource model and JORC resource estimate, which is due for completion in fourth quarter of 2013.

?The 2013 exploration program on Romang Island is accelerating with 7 drill rigs currently operating in the field and an additional rig being recommissioned. These rigs are deployed in 6 different target areas within the Lakuwahi Caldera, including the Batu Hitam East high-grade gold target. ?

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak