Minrex Resources (ASX:MRR) has delivered the strongest drilling yet from the Barje Deposit at its Tlamino Gold-Silver Project, and more importantly the standout results have landed in the one area the old model expected to be weak.
Five holes returned the widest and highest-grade intersections drilled at Barje to date, materially outperforming the existing geological model.
The headline result was:
36m @ 5.85 g/t AuEq from 47m, including 14m @ 7.74 g/t AuEq and 4.2m @ 15.67 g/t AuEq.
That is the widest and highest-grade intersection in the deposit’s history.
The gap is gone
Barje had previously been modelled as two separate high-grade zones divided by a lower-grade central corridor.
The latest holes have challenged that interpretation.
BAR045, BAR046, BAR047 and BAR050 now form a continuous line of thick, high-grade mineralisation across that central zone, suggesting the two high-grade areas may instead be part of one connected body.
The part of the deposit that was meant to be filler is starting to look like the core.
Figure 1: Barje Deposit plan view showing drill collars, downhole assay traces, and drill results within high-grade expansion corridor.
Strong results across several holes
The strength is not limited to one standout intercept.
Other results included:
17.5m @ 5.22 g/t AuEq from 14.4m, including 8.2m @ 7.60 g/t AuEq.
18.3m @ 4.87 g/t AuEq from 57.7m, including 6.5m @ 8.53 g/t AuEq.
10.2m @ 4.16 g/t AuEq from 67m, including 5.15m @ 7.31 g/t AuEq.
24.6m @ 2.39 g/t AuEq from 50m, including 9.2m @ 4.87 g/t AuEq.
These are broad intervals with high-grade internal cores, not isolated narrow spikes.
Table 1: Summary of significant intersections in holes BAR046.
The resource implications are getting bigger
The current 2021 foreign estimate stands at 670,000oz at 2.9 g/t AuEq, with a higher-grade breccia component containing 470,000oz at 4.7 g/t AuEq.
The latest drilling is hitting greater width and grade through ground that is not properly captured in that model.
BAR046 alone returned around 32m of vertical thickness where the model had the high-grade zone thinning and pinching out.
That gives Minrex a clear opportunity to reshape the central part of Barje ahead of its maiden JORC Resource.
Shallow grade matters
There is another important angle.
This stronger mineralisation sits shallow and centrally within the deposit.
Minrex says that could support lower strip ratios, stronger early head grades and lower unit costs in any future development scenario.
So the latest drilling is not just about adding ounces, it could also improve where those ounces sit.
What comes next
Minrex is now looking at expanding the diamond program to further define the central high-grade zone.
The maiden JORC Resource remains scheduled for next quarter, while the rig is already stepping out along strike to test for extensions.
The old model said this was the weak spot, the drill says otherwise.
Barje may be a very different deposit by the time the new resource lands…
