Maritana Minerals Limited has lifted the mineral resource estimate for its Burbanks gold project in Western Australia by 62%, adding 290,000 ounces of contained gold to the asset.

The updated resource stands at 13.7 million tonnes grading 1.7 grams per tonne gold for 755,000 ounces, superseding the previous estimate of 6.1 million tonnes at 2.4 grams per tonne for 466,000 ounces. The growth follows a completed Phase 1 drilling program comprising 53 diamond holes for 15,798 metres and additional drilling at Burbanks North.

The revised inventory comprises an open pit component of 10.6 million tonnes at 1.45 grams per tonne for 496,000 ounces and an underground component of 3.1 million tonnes at 2.63 grams per tonne for 259,000 ounces. The open pit resource increased by 67%, while the underground portion grew by 54%. Indicated resources now make up 29% of the total project inventory.

The majority of the expansion is concentrated within the Burbanks North open pit and underground domains, which together increased to 11.1 million tonnes at 1.47 grams per tonne for 523,000 ounces, up from 3.7 million tonnes at 2.06 grams per tonne for 243,000 ounces. Mineralisation across the project has been defined to approximately 450 metres below surface at Main Lode and Birthday Gift, and remains open at depth and along strike.

Maritana owns 100% of the project, which sits 9 kilometres south of Coolgardie and has a historical underground production record of 324,000 ounces at 22.7 grams per tonne gold. The Burbanks Open Pit currently contributes 128,800 recovered ounces to the life-of-mine plan for the Black Swan Processing Hub, whereas the underground component is excluded from the current plan and represents potential feed extensions. No ore reserve has yet been declared for the deposit.

"This update lifts our Burbanks deposit to 755,000 ounces, a 62% increase in contained gold, and takes Maritana's Mineral Resource above 2 million ounces. With 29% of the Mineral Resource now in the Indicated category and the final Phase 2 drill results expected shortly, we will progress a further Mineral Resource update in Q1 CY2027 and Ore Reserve studies." 

— Grant Haywood, Managing Director and CEO

Maritana executed a two-phase extensional and infill drilling campaign totalling approximately 25,000 metres. Phase 2 drilling has been completed, with results from the first 11 holes recently reported ahead of the upcoming resource update and reserve studies.

Read the full announcement: High-Grade Burbanks Deposit Increases 62% to 750koz