Victoria Gold JV - Key Licence granted

RNS Number : 5205M
Red Rock Resources plc
24 May 2022
 

Red Rock Resources PLC

("Red Rock" or the "Company")

Victoria Gold Joint Venture - Grant of Key Licence

 

24 May 2022

Red Rock Resources Plc, ("Red Rock" or "the Company"), a natural resource development company with interests in gold and base metals, principally in Africa and Australia, announces an update in relation to the gold exploration programme being carried out by joint venture subsidiary New Ballarat Gold Corporation plc ("NBGC") in the Victoria Goldfields of Australia. Exploration is carried out by Red Rock Australasia Pty Ltd ("RRAL"), the 100% owned Australian operating subsidiary of NBGC.

Highlights

· Three further exploration licences have been granted, bringing RRAL's footprint in the Victoria Goldfields to over 1,800 sq km.

· Grants now include the 202 sq km licence (EL 007330) North-East of Ballarat which includes the historical Ajax mine where in the 1920s the Ajax line recorded production of 312,789 ounces at 14.8 g/t.

Red Rock Chairman Andrew Bell comments: "The grants of EL 007330, EL 007294 and EL 007507 bring our total ground position in prospective areas north, south and east of Ballarat up to 1,832 sq km, covering the sites of a number of old mines and workings as well as fresh geological targets. The latest grant covering the old Ajax mine (EL7330) is a significant milestone for RRAL, as it includes the site of a former high grade near-surface mine that was mined a century ago at 14.8 g/t.

In our view, this exploration asset enhances our exploration portfolio and makes our goal of achieving a listing of the RRAL business less sensitive to market conditions.

Further detailed announcements, both on the Ajax project and on progress towards listing, will follow."

EL 007330 Exploration Licence (including Ajax Mine)  

The Ajax mine comprise numerous former shafts and workings over a strike of several kilometres, which was historically mined to a vertical depth of approximately 400m. The possible down dip and along strike extensions to the main ore zones remain virtually untested.  Minor diamond drilling completed in the 1990s by Continent Resources intersected multiple lode structures with the best intersection showing 5.3m at 15.2g/t Au from 120.9m downhole, demonstrating the continuity in lode structure and associated gold grades.  The mine shaft itself has been backfilled and is currently not accessible. 

A more detailed description including a table of the 1990s drilling is contained in the paper previously published on and accessible through the Company's website in the Project section labelled "Licence Report: EL007330" with the title "Tenement Review and Exploration Strategy- EL007330".

Work is currently under way to digitise the old workings, stopes and geology into a 3D computer model, in advance of a planned diamond drilling campaign which is expected to commence in late 2022.

http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/5205M_1-2022-5-23.pdf

Fig 1: Long Section of Ajax Mine workings

New Ballarat Gold Corporation

NBGC is a joint venture company, owned as to 50.1% by Red Rock and as to 49.9% by Power Metals Resources PLC (AIM:POW), which wholly owns Red Rock Australasia Pty Ltd , holder of the  Victorian Tenements.

 

NBGC holds a land position comprising 14 granted licenses of in total 1,832 sq km in the rich gold fields of Victoria, Australia, principally around the mining centre of Ballarat.

 

Five licences covering 493 km2 await grant. The company has assembled its portfolio of properties comprising a broad range from exploration targets to near-term resource potential, all of which remain largely undeveloped by modern explorers.

 

With the first tenements granted only in 2021, NBGC has already conducted initial exploration of selected targets, including a diamond drill test of two prospects starting in December 2021.

 

520m of drilling has been carried out at the O'Loughlin's target within EL 007271and 340m has been carried out at Mt Bute, with samples sent to MinAnalytical Laboratory Services in Perth, WA, for laboratory assay testing.

 

Granted Licences

The fourteen granted licences cover high priority areas covering 1,832km2 as outlined below.

Licence Number

Project Name

Area (km2)

EL007271

 

Buninyong

(renamed)

133

EL007281

 

Blue Chip

74

EL007282

 

Blue Sky

489

EL007285

 

Blue Ribbon

8

EL007327

Dereel

60

EL007385

Sardinia

  4

EL007329

Kilmore

484

EL007301

Pitfield/Mt Bute

85

EL007328

Blue Yonder

164

State land within EL007271

 

EL007505

 

-

 

 

[9]

State land within EL007271

 

EL007506

 

-

 

[9]

State land within EL007271

 

EL007507

 

-

(Announced today)

 

[8]

EL007330

Daylesford

(renamed)

(Announced today)

202

EL 007294
Talbot

(renamed)

(Announced today)

129

 

Total

 

 

 

1,832

 

Licence Applications

RRAL has applications in process for five other new gold exploration licence areas covering 493 km2 in the Victoria Goldfields of Australia including:

 

License Application Number

Project Name

Area (km2)




EL007540*

(3 competing applications)

 

Outer Ballarat

142

EL007756

Monmouth

22

State land within EL007327

 

EL007799

Dereel (2)

[3]

EL007826

Ballarat East

4

EL007460

Kilmore West

 

325

TOTAL


493

 

* Balmaine Gold Pty Ltd, Mercator Gold Australia Pty Ltd, and Loddon Gold Pty Ltd have put in competing applications the same day as RRAL for the ground covered by EL007540. The application considered to have greatest merit will eventually be given priority.

The following applications have been made in Western Australia, covering largely areas previously held by the Company at the time of its original listing.

EL45/5859

 

Paterson

227

EL45/5885

Pilbara/Paterson

70

 

The technical information relating to exploration in this report is compiled by David Holden, BSc, MBA, MEM, who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and a director of NBGC, and  the Exploration Director of RRAL. He is a member of a recognized professional organization and has sufficient relevant experience to qualify as a qualified person as defined in the Guidance Note for Mining, Oil and Gas Companies published by AIM.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR"), and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of MAR.

 

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Bell 0207 747 9990  ChairmanRed Rock Resources Plc

Roland Cornish/ Rosalind Hill Abrahams 0207 628 3396  NOMAD Beaumont Cornish Limited

Jason Robertson 0207 374 2212                                                       Broker First Equity Limited     

 

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