Last checked at 9 Jan 2023 11:00
9 January 2023
Red Rock Resources PLC
("Red Rock" or the "Company")
Victoria Goldfields Australia - Update
Red Rock Resources Plc (LON:RRR), a natural resource development company with interests in gold and base metals, principally in Africa and Australia, announces an update in relation to the tenement holdings and exploration activity of the Company's Victoria Goldfields joint venture ("JV").
Andrew Bell, Chairman of Red Rock Resources Plc commented:
"Diamond drilling at the historic Berringa Gold Mine has restarted after the Christmas break and the first hole is progressing well.
We also announce the grant of 3 further licence applications as well as rock chip sampling results from the Dereel project which evidence the presence of extensive, and sometimes high grade, gold mineralisation in the area.
Work continues and further updates will follow in due course."
HIGHLIGHTS:
Diamond Drilling - Berringa Gold Mine
On 13th December 2022, the Company announced the start of a 5 hole, approximately 1,000m, diamond drilling programme at the historic Berringa Gold Mine ("Berringa"). Drilling of the first hole (BE23D001), into the Birthday South target (see announcement 13.12.22 for further information), paused on 23rd December 2022, for the holiday season at a downhole depth of 125.7m.
Drilling recommenced on 3rd January 2023, with BE23D001 as of end-day 5th January 2023 at a downhole depth of 167m at which point the HQ (96 mm) drill bit was replaced by an NQ (75.7 mm) bit. Drilling continues with an expected final target depth of approximately 420m.
Grant of Exploration Licences
A further three exploration licences ("ELs") have now been granted including:
- EL 7756: a 22km2 area of Crown land within EL 7271, the prominent EL south of Ballarat gold mine within the Ajax project containing the old Monmouth and Happy Thought mines but where forest cover has limited modern exploration.
- EL 7799: a 3km2 inlier of Crown land originally excluded from licence EL 7327 within the Dereel Project. Investigations have identified the Golden Reef (Dereel) mine as an active high grade mine at the turn of the last century and the Crown land will improve access for a future drill programme. The JV has gathered a number of rock chip samples in the area.
- EL 7826: a 4km2 tenement enhancing the land position surrounding Ballarat mine itself and covering potential areas for a southern extension of the main Ballarat lode system known as Ballarat south within the Ajax project.
With the above now granted, seventeen EL grants have now been received from the nineteen original applications. Table 1 below provides a full breakdown.
Rock Sampling Results
A rock chip sampling programme was successfully completed within the Dereel project (EL 7799 & EL7327). The sampling campaign included the collection of 24 rock samples. Extensive gold mineralisation was successfully identified with 16 of the 24 samples returning gold assays >0.1g/t, including a highlight result of 229g/t Au.
Table 2 below provides a breakdown of all rock sampling results.
JOINT VENTURE STRUCTURE
The joint venture is held through New Ballarat Gold Corporation PLC ("NBGC"), which is focused on the prolific Victoria Goldfields of Australia. The JV is between Red Rock (50.1%) and its partner London-listed Power Metal Resources Plc (49.9%) (together the "JV Partners").
NBGC has a wholly owned Australian operating subsidiary Red Rock Australasia Pty Ltd ("RRAL") which holds a strong land position comprising seventeen granted exploration licences and one purchased licence for a total area of 1,867km2 within the gold fields of Victoria, Australia, principally surrounding the mining centre of Ballarat, Australia.
In addition, 2 licences covering 467km2 await grant. The JV has carefully assembled its portfolio of properties comprising a broad range from robust exploration targets to near term resource potential, all of which remain largely undeveloped by modern explorers.
The JV Partners have the intention of listing the JV company NBGC and will make further announcements as appropriate.
TABLE 1: LICENCE TABLES
The seventeen granted and one purchased licence (EL005535) cover high priority areas, covering 1,867km2 as outlined below.
Licence Number | Project Name | Area (km2) |
EL007271
| Buninyong
| 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 |
-
|
[8] |
EL007330 | Daylesford
| 202 |
| EL 007294 | Talbot
| 129 |
| EL 005535 | Berringa | 9 (228 net ha) |
| EL007756 | Monmouth | 22 |
State land within EL007327 EL007799 | Dereel (2) | [3] |
| EL007826 | Ballarat East | 4 |
Total
|
1,867 |
Licence Applications:
RRAL has applications in process for two other new gold exploration licence areas, covering 467 km2 in the Victoria Goldfields of Australia including:
Licence Application Number | Project Name | Area (km2) |
EL007540* (3 competing applications)
| Outer Ballarat | 142 |
EL007460 | Kilmore West
| 325 |
| TOTAL | 467 |
*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 also been made in Western Australia.
EL45/5859
| Paterson | 227 |
EL45/5885 | Pilbara/Paterson | 70 |
Table 2: ROCK CHIP SAMPLING RESULTS
Each sample below represents a 1kg sample which was pulverised and analysed with an aqua regia digest (AAS finish).
Sample ID | Tenement | Name | Easting | Northing | Gold (g/t) |
41514 | EL007799 | Dereel | 743094.1 | 5809362 | 229 |
41562 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743239.5 | 5809050 | 1.67 |
41513 | EL007799 | Dereel | 743102.2 | 5809331 | 0.79 |
41515 | EL007799 | Dereel | 743095.4 | 5809397 | 0.39 |
41560 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743233.9 | 5809046 | 0.33 |
41564 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743248.8 | 5809037 | 0.3 |
41561 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743232.1 | 5809046 | 0.28 |
41563 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743252.6 | 5809041 | 0.15 |
41565 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743243.8 | 5809041 | 0.15 |
41511 | EL007799 | Dereel | 743110.2 | 5809315 | 0.08 |
41516 | EL007799 | Dereel | 743082.2 | 5809399 | 0.04 |
41512 | EL007799 | Dereel | 743108.7 | 5809318 | 0.02 |
41566 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743270.9 | 5809071 | 0.01 |
41510 | EL007799 | Dereel | 743119.2 | 5809285 | 0.01 |
52525 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743264.7 | 5809564 | |
58299 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743259 | 5809518 | 0.97 |
58300 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743262.8 | 5809508 | 0.21 |
58523 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743264.7 | 5809583 | 0.07 |
58524 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743267.8 | 5809572 | 0.1 |
58526 | EL007327 | Dereel | 743260.3 | 5809550 | 0.2 |
58295B | EL007327 | Dereel | 743267.1 | 5809491 | 0.13 |
58296B | EL007327 | Dereel | 743267.5 | 5809496 | 0.31 |
58297B | EL007327 | Dereel | 743268.8 | 5809521 | 0.27 |
58298B | EL007327 | Dereel | 743266.5 | 5809530 |
QUALIFIED PERSON STATEMENT
The technical information in this report is compiled by David Holden, BSc, MBA, MEM, who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and the Executive Officer and Exploration Manager of RRAL. He is a member of a recognised professional organisation 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 visit www.rrrplc.com or contact:
Andrew Bell 0207 747 9990 Chairman Red Rock Resources Plc
Roland Cornish/ Rosalind Hill Abrahams 0207 628 3396 NOMAD Beaumont Cornish Limited
Jason Robertson 0207 374 2212 Broker First Equity Limited
NOTE TO EDITORS
Red Rock Resources plc - Background
Red Rock Resources plc (LON:RRR) is an AIM listed metals exploration company focused on gold, copper and battery metals and principally active in Africa and Australia. It has historically been involved with production as well as exploration, having brought a historic gold mine back into production in Colombia and participated in the development to production of a major open pit manganese mine in South Africa.
The Company currently has gold exploration projects in Kenya, West Africa and Australia, copper/cobalt exploration in Congo, and lithium exploration in Zimbabwe.