TULLA RESOURCES PLC Tulla Resources Plc ('Tulla Resources' or the 'Company') announced an update to the Mineral Resource Estimates and Ore Reserve at the Scotia deposit, which forms part of the Scotia Mining Centre and O'Brien's Underground at Mainfield at the Norseman Project. Increases in the Ore Reserve and Life of Mine Plan at Norseman will directly contribute to further mine life extension at Norseman. The Norseman Project Ore Reserve now stands at 12.9 Mt @ 2.2 g/t for 900,000 ounces, an increase of 49% since the October 2020 DFS (100%).
Latest drill program focussed on Scotia Deeps, resulting in a 776% upgrade in the Scotia Underground Ore Reserve since completion of the DFS in October 2020. The Scotia Underground Ore Reserve now stands at 1.26 Mt @ 4.5g/t for 184,000 ounces. Current Life of Mine plan for the Scotia Underground mine, inclusive of blocks in the Inferred Mineral Resource category now stands at 1.44 Mt @ 5.1 g/t for 214,000 ounces.
Mineralisation remains open in all directions. The total Scotia Mining Centre Mineral Resource now stands at 12.4 Mt @ 2.3g/t for 906,000 ounces. Mineral resources are well drilled with 70% of the Mineral Resource inventory in the Indicated category.
The Scotia Deposit remains open to the north and at depth with no known geological features that could cause the orebody to terminate. Drilling along strike is ongoing. Additional work including verification of existing drill core and Mineral Resource modelling at the O'Brien's deposit has been completed.
The O'Brien's deposit is due west of the Bullen underground mine with underground access substantially completed during previous operations. Development of O'Brien's will provide good access for drilling platforms for the high grade Crown Reef in the Mainfield. An updated O'Brien's Mineral Resource Estimate at Mainfield of 0.13 Mt @ 9.5 g/t Au for 40,000 ounces.
O'Brien's Underground Reserve stands at 0.13 Mt @ 5.0 g/t Au for 21,000 ounces. Pantoro South Pty Ltd, the manager of the Norseman Project JV, has provided the following update of the Mineral Resources and Reserve at Scotia Mining Centre and Mainfield. The Scotia gold deposit is located approximately 25 kilometres south of Norseman and was discovered in 1893, seven months after the original find at the Maybell Deposit in the Dundas field.
The historic production recorded from the Scotia mine from Central Norseman Gold Corporation production via open pit an underground mining between 1987 and 1996, was 811,000t @ 5.9 g/t Au for 155,000 ounces. The Scotia deposit is a key part of the Phase One DFS completed in October 2020, and since that time the JV has completed an extensive infill and extensional drilling program. During 2021 and into early 2022 an additional 55,647 metres of drilling from 91 reverse circulation and 85 diamond Core drill holes has been completed.
Drilling during 2021/2022 has targeted the underground mineral resources at the Scotia deposit. The current drilling which is designed to achieve spacing suitable for Ore Reserve calculation (nominally 30m x 30m), has continued to increase resource confidence, infilling multiple lodes and further refining understanding of the controls on mineralisation.
