en.Wedoany.com Reported - GBM Resources (ASX:GBM) has launched an 8,000-meter drilling program at the Yandan Gold Project in the Drummond Basin, Queensland, Australia, aimed at expanding resource scale.
The Yandan project has an estimated mineral resource of 12.8 million tonnes at a gold grade of 1.1 g/t, containing 440,000 ounces of gold.
The first phase, planned for three months, includes 4,000 meters of reverse circulation drilling and 4,000 meters of diamond drilling, targeting East Hill, Yandan Pit, South Pit, and Magazine Ridge.
Drilling at East Hill will test extensions of the existing resource along strike and at depth. GBM has prioritized these holes to support an updated East Hill resource estimate in the first half of 2027, with results contingent on drilling outcomes.
The deposit contains a core orebody of 1.1 million tonnes at a gold grade of 5.7 g/t, containing 201,000 ounces of gold. Historical drilling intersected 191 meters at 4 g/t gold from 190 meters depth, including 43.7 meters at 13.9 g/t gold from 325 meters depth.
CEO Daniel Hastings stated that the program will test the company's latest geological model for the project. Hastings said the goal is to expand the existing resource base and test significant mineralization opportunities at depth and along strike.
At Yandan Pit, drilling will test feeder zones and extensions beneath the existing open pit.
South Pit has an inferred resource of 900,000 tonnes at a gold grade of 0.6 g/t, containing 16,000 ounces of gold. The program will include the first east-west drilling at this prospect to validate the company's interpretation of the mineralized structure.
Drilling at Magazine Ridge will target an induced polarization (IP) anomaly coinciding with a silicified ridge. GBM interprets this feature as part of the southern margin of a broader breccia pipe.
Targets were identified through reprocessed historical geophysical data and newly acquired IP and aeromagnetic data. GBM interprets Yandan as a breccia pipe system underlain by intrusions associated with deep mineralization.
The former Yandan mine produced 365,000 ounces of gold over more than six years before GBM acquired the project in 2021.
GBM expects initial assay results from East Hill to be released in September, followed by results from the remaining targets in the fourth quarter.
