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Highlights
- Marmota (ASX:MEU) achieved significant increases in gold grades at its Aurora Tank project in South Australia.
- New BLEG test work showed grades as high as 90g/t, surpassing initial high-grade results.
- The company is confident about progressing toward resource modeling with robust, validated gold grade data.
Marmota (ASX:MEU), a leading exploration company, has announced a major breakthrough at its Aurora Tank gold project located in South Australia. The company recently completed an advanced testing program that resulted in exceptional increases in gold grades, further solidifying the potential of this high-value discovery.
In late 2024, Marmota successfully intercepted thick, high-grade gold intervals in the southern part of its Aurora Tank project. Among the highlights was an impressive 1-metre sample that returned 50 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, suggesting that the area could hold significant economic potential.
The company took the bold step of conducting Bulk Leach Extractable Gold (BLEG) test work on the collected samples. A total of 23.41kg of material was collected for laboratory analysis, which was subdivided into five 2kg samples for further assessment. The results exceeded expectations, with all five samples returning higher-than-expected gold grades. Three of the five BLEG samples, in particular, yielded assay results of more than 90 g/t, validating the presence of exceptionally high-grade gold at Aurora Tank.
According to Dr. Colin Rose, the chair of Marmota, many exploration companies are hesitant to re-test samples showing such high gold grades due to the potential for a “nugget effect.” This effect occurs when gold appears in unevenly distributed, coarse clusters, which can skew results. However, Marmota took an innovative approach by re-testing the highest 50 g/t sample from its November 2024 drilling program, employing the BLEG technique for greater precision. Instead of merely retesting a portion of the sample, the company subdivided the entire sample bag into five distinct portions for analysis.
The results of this effort are very promising, providing Marmota with greater confidence as it moves forward with resource estimation activities at Aurora Tank. The use of BLEG technology, while more costly than traditional assay methods, offers a much clearer picture of the gold resource’s true value. It also helps eliminate potential discrepancies caused by the nugget effect, a phenomenon often seen in gold-rich areas where mineralization is uneven.
Marmota is optimistic that these positive results will support ongoing exploration and lead to resource modeling, which will ultimately pave the way for the company to evaluate the economic potential of the Aurora Tank project more accurately.
