3
December 2024
Lexington Gold
Ltd
("Lexington Gold" or the "Company")
Update
re: Ventersburg Gold Project, South
Africa
Exploration Target, Resource
Potential and Potential Synergies
Lexington Gold (AIM: LEX), a gold
exploration and development company with projects in South Africa
and the USA, is pleased to announce further progress with respect
to its Ventersburg Gold Project (the "Project") in the Free State
Province, South Africa. The Project, held and operated through
Lexington Gold's subsidiary, White Rivers Exploration (Proprietary)
Limited ("WRE"), is strategically situated within the
world-renowned Witwatersrand Basin, a region estimated to account
for approximately 40% of gold mined globally to date.
This update is based on the findings
of a detailed technical report prepared by Shango Solutions
("Shango"), an independent geological consultancy firm based in
South Africa. The full report is available on the Company's website
and via the following link: http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/4650O_1-2024-12-2.pdf.
Shango, inter alia,
reported an independent Exploration Target (grade and tonnage
estimate) for the Project. Exploration Targets comprise an
estimate of the exploration potential of a mineral deposit which
are typically quoted as a range of tonnes and a range of grade due
to geological uncertainty and insufficient supporting data. The
potential quantity and grade is therefore conceptual in nature, in
that there has been insufficient exploration completed to date to
estimate a Mineral Resource and it is currently uncertain if
further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral
Resource.
Highlights:
·
High Exploration
Target Potential:
o The Project's independently
calculated Exploration Target is estimated at 1.39 - 3.55 million
ounces of contained gold at grades between 2.82 g/t and 3.44 g/t
(grade and tonnage estimate).
o Potential uranium and silver
by-products are identified, based on the exploration results of
neighbouring projects and consistent with historical data from the
Witwatersrand Basin.
·
Adjacent
Strategic Properties:
o Gold One Africa Limited's
("Gold One Africa") mining right/gold project is directly adjacent
to WRE's Ventersburg A tenement. Gold One Africa's exploration
activities have defined a 4.31 Moz Mineral Resource on its project
comprising an Indicated Mineral Resource of 23.49 Mt at 3.81 g/t
gold (2.88 Moz) and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 12.85 Mt at a
grade of 3.23 g/t gold (1.33 Moz).
o Sibanye Stillwater Limited's
("Sibanye-Stillwater") Robijn Project, also nearby, hosts Indicated
Mineral Resources of 13.6 Mt at 5.8 g/t (2.54 Moz gold) and 0.129
kg/t U3O8, as well as Inferred Mineral
Resources of 9 Mt at 5.7 g/t (1.65 Moz gold) and 0.127 kg/t
U3O8 over its Beatrix Reef.
·
Potential
Consolidation Synergies:
o Lexington Gold and its BBBE
partner, Letsema Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, are in discussions
with Gold One Africa to explore the potential consolidation of the
Ventersburg Goldfield, by aligning the adjacent properties to
maximise resource and operational efficiencies.
·
Extensive
Exploration Database:
o WRE holds data over 2,500
historical boreholes, with a subset relevant to the Ventersburg
area, supporting geological modelling and informing future drilling
programmes.
·
Development
Opportunities:
o Gold One Africa's established
mining plan, including a Life of Mine (LoM) of 17 years and
substantial infrastructure investments, provides a suitable
benchmark for potential development strategies for WRE's
Ventersburg Project.
Ed
Nealon, Chairman of Lexington Gold,
commented:
"We are most encouraged by the significant Exploration Target
potential identified at our Ventersburg Gold Project. The Project's
proximity to established neighbouring operations, notably Gold One
Africa's and Sibanye-Stillwater's presents unique opportunities for
potential collaboration and resource
optimisation.
"Our ongoing discussions with Gold One Africa aim to explore
and evaluate possible synergies that could enhance the development
prospects for the Ventersburg Goldfield. The Modder East mine,
operated by Gold One Group Limited in South Africa's historically
rich East Rand Goldfield situated 30km east of Johannesburg, has
reported an average gold grade of approximately 2.84 grams per
tonne (g/t) in the Indicated Mineral Resource category. As such,
the estimated Exploration Target for our Project at Ventersburg
represents a potentially higher grade than that reported for the
equivalent depth Modder East Mine and therefore represents an
exciting development opportunity for Lexington
Gold."
"We remain committed to advancing our exploration efforts in
South Africa and unlocking value for our
shareholders."
Additional Information
Gold One Africa - Adjacent Development and Potential
Exploration Synergies
Gold One Africa's mining right/gold
project directly borders WRE's Ventersburg A tenement and offers
substantial potential synergies:
1. Recent Drilling Success:
• Between 2021 and 2023, Gold One Africa
completed a 30-borehole drilling programme targeting the A Reef,
yielding high-quality structural and Mineral Resource
data.
• This programme resulted in a Measured and
Indicated Mineral Resource of 1.03 Moz at 3.72 g/t gold located
within its initial production footprint (Years 1-3) and forms part
of its larger 4.31 Moz estimated Mineral Resources.
2. Historical Mineral Resource
Estimates:
• In 2013, Gold One Africa declared an
Indicated Mineral Resource of 23.49 Mt at 3.81 g/t gold (2.88 Moz)
and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 12.85 Mt at 3.23 g/t gold (1.33
Moz) for a total of 4.31 Moz.
• An
Indicated Mineral Resource of 19.37 Mt at
0.113 kg/t U308 was
also declared for the associated uranium.
• A Probable Reserve of 10.57 Mt at 3.81 g/t
gold (1.30 Moz) was also outlined.
3. Life of Mine Plan:
• Gold One Africa's Ventersburg Gold Mine is
planned as an underground operation with a 17-year LoM, featuring
surface infrastructure such as shafts, a processing plant, waste
rock dumps, and a water treatment plant.
• Gold One Africa's infrastructure and
operational expertise could provide a foundation for the
collaborative development of WRE's Ventersburg Gold
Project.
4. Payshoot Continuity Across
Boundaries:
• Gold One Africa's payshoot model suggests
that high-grade mineralisation trends extend into WRE's Ventersburg
tenement areas, thereby providing an opportunity for potential
joint exploration and development.
WRE's Ventersburg Gold Project - Exploration Target and
Exploration Details
1. Exploration Target:
• Shango's independent estimation for WRE's
A Reef Exploration Target ranges from 1.39 to 3.55 million ounces
of gold at grades of between 2.82 g/t to 3.44 g/t.
• The estimate is based on historical
borehole data and provides a foundation for planned infill drilling
to refine the resource and upgrade confidence levels. The
Exploration Target reported is conceptual in nature at this
stage.
2. Strategic Proximity:
• WRE's tenements are strategically located
along strike from Gold One Africa's and Sibanye-Stillwater's
project areas, thereby offering significant potential for Mineral
Resource alignment and operational synergies.
3. Planned Exploration
Activities:
• A drilling programme is planned for WRE's
Ventersburg A, B and Consolidated tenements to enhance our
geological modelling and the Mineral Resource
classification.
• Collaboration with Gold One Africa is
under consideration in order to leverage existing structural data
and payshoot models.
Additional Exploration Potential
The A and Reworked BPM reefs of the
Kimberley Formation, located between 350m and 1,500m below surface,
are the primary exploration focus. Recent data suggests the
presence of payshoots, which trend in a northwest-southeast
direction, extending into WRE's tenement areas. Historical and
recent third party drilling data indicates the potential for
multiple mineralisation zones, including uranium concentrations,
within the same geological horizons.
Strategic Next Steps
Lexington Gold aims to realise the
full potential of the Ventersburg Gold Project through targeted
exploration and strategic collaborations. Accordingly, the Company
is prioritising the following:
• Drilling programmes to enhance geological
modelling and classify resources.
• Potential collaborations with Gold One
Africa and Sibanye-Stillwater to leverage existing infrastructure
and operational synergies.
• Further evaluation of by-product
potential, including uranium, to enhance the Project's
economics.
Further updates will be provided as
exploration activities and potential partnership negotiations
progress.
Competent Person's Statement:
The information contained in this
announcement is based on a technical report prepared by Shango
Solutions (registered as Dunrose Trading 186 (Pty) Ltd), an
independent geological consultancy firm based in South Africa. The
report was reviewed by, amongst others, Dr Jochen Schweitzer, a
principal geological consultant at Shango Solutions and a qualified
geologist, registered with the South African Council for Natural
Resources and a Competent Person as defined by the JORC Code
(2012). Dr Schweitzer has sufficient experience relevant to the
style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration,
and to the technical activity being undertaken. Dr Schweitzer has
reviewed and approved the information in this announcement and
consents to the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based
upon the information in the form and context in which it appears.
Exploration Target estimates for WRE are conceptual in nature and
are subject to further exploration and verification.
This announcement highlights
Lexington Gold's strategic initiatives to expand its presence in
the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa through, inter alia, collaboration, leveraging
of synergies, and advancing its Ventersburg Gold Project targeting
the creation of long-term shareholder value.
For
further information, please contact:
Lexington Gold Ltd
Bernard Olivier (Chief Executive
Officer)
Edward Nealon (Chairman)
Mike Allardice (Group Company
Secretary)
|
www.lexingtongold.co.uk
via Yellow Jersey
|
Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated Adviser)
Matthew Chandler / James Bellman /
Abigail Wennington
|
www.strandhanson.co.uk
T: +44 207 409 3494
|
Peterhouse Capital Limited (Broker)
Duncan Vasey / Lucy Williams
(Broking)
Eran Zucker (Corporate
Finance)
|
www.peterhousecap.com
T: +44 207 469 0930
|
Yellow Jersey PR Limited (Financial Public
Relations)
Charles Goodwin / Annabelle
Wills
|
www.yellowjerseypr.com
T: +44 7747 788 221
|
Note to Editors:
Lexington Gold (AIM: LEX)
is a gold exploration and development company currently holding
interests in four diverse gold projects, covering a combined area
of approximately 1,675 acres in North and South Carolina, USA and
in six gold projects covering approximately 114,638 hectares in
South Africa.
Further information is available on
the Company's website: www.lexingtongold.co.uk or
follow us through our social media channel: X: @LexGoldLtd
Neither the contents of the
Company's website nor the contents of any website accessible from
hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is
incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.