Rumble Resources and Zenith Minerals have announced the maiden resource for the Earaheedy project in Western Australia. It confirms it as one of the largest zinc sulphide discoveries of the last ten years.
The pit-constrained maiden resource sits at 94 million tonnes grading 3.1% zinc-lead and 4.1 grams per tonne silver, for a contained 2.2Mt zinc, 600,000t lead and 12.6 million ounces silver.
The indicated and inferred resource is based on a 2% zinc-lead cut-off. Increasing the cut-off to 3% defines a 41Mt at 3.8% high-grade core, while decreasing it to 0.5% creates an even larger 462Mt at 1.3% resource.
The higher-grade core could allow a starter project and the size and scale suggest that lowering the cut-off grade could be possible.
Rumble set an initial exploration target of 100-120Mt grading 3.5-4.5% zinc-lead, soon after making the discovery in 2021. Today’s resource puts the Earaheedy Basin in a class with major eastern Australian discoveries such as Century, Mt Isa and Broken Hill.
Managing director Shane Sikora described the numbers as “exceptional,” but just the start of the story. Next month, more drilling will begin with the aim to target resource growth and new discoveries.
“The sheer scale, optionality, and extraordinary growth potential of Earaheedy could see the project stamp itself as a world class, multi decade asset and play a key role in the global renewable energy transition,” technical advisor and non-executive director Peter Venn said.
There are multiple development scenarios thanks to beneficiation and the resource is open pittable, proving good metallurgical recoveries.
Dense media separation and ore sorting trials will be concluded in tandem with scoping studies.
The Chinook, Tonka and Navajoh deposits remain open downdip and along strike, and less than one third of the shallow and flat-lying, mineralised Navajoh unconformity has been effectively drilled out.
Although it is yet to be drilled out at resource level, copper has also been intersected.
Rumble Resources has identified several higher-grade feeder structure targets to the northwest and southeast, which it plans to drill.
Zenith holds a 25% free-carried interest until completion of a bankable feasibility study.