ASX: Nuurstei exploration update

Mongolian metallurgical coal explorer, Aspire Mining, has provided an update of the exploration program that is currently being undertaken at the Nuurstei Coal Project by the Aspire and Noble Group Ekhgoviin Chuluu Joint Venture (ECJV).

The ECJV owns a 90% interest in the Nuurstei project. Non-core drilling has now been completed with PQ diamond holes continuing to provide coal for sampling identified seams of potential economic interest. Drilling at Nuurstei commenced in July 2015 and to date 24 non-core drill holes and 19 PQ diamond core hole have been completed, including those reported to the market on 21 August 2015. The drilling results continue to indicate steeply dipping and banded (coal and non-coal) seams. There are a large number of seams identified in the 150 – 180m deep holes. Basement rock has not been intersected in any of the holes and historical drilling at Nuurstei noted that coal in multiple thin seams continue to be intersected well below the current depth of drilling.

A best reported intersection of 6.94 metre of coal is in hole NURH1039 from 61.2 m and hole NURH1032 also intersected 5.6m of coal from 34.7m. Twelve other seams identified in this hole provided a total of 26.39 metres of coal from surface down to 108 metres illustrating the existence of multiple, albeit relativelythin stacked seams. The strike length of correlated seams has now been identified over 1.6 km, up from 1.2 km that was previously reported following the completion of the 2014 exploration programme.

The 2015 Nuurstei drilling program was prepared with the aim of increasing confidence levels in coal seam correlation and establishing a coal resource that can be reported in accordance to the 2012 JORC Code.

The data from the infill-drilling is now being compiled by McElroy Bryan Geological Services (MBGS) with the view to establish a maiden coal resource at Nuurstei by the end of 2015. Following the 2014 exploration program, MBGS defined an Exploration Target at Nuurstei which could contain betweenapproximately 15mt (at 0.5m coal thickness cutoff, rounded) to approximately 25mt (at 0.1m coal thickness cutoff, rounded), down to 160m depth (refer ASX Announcement dated 20 March 2015).

Nuurstei is located only 10 kilometres from the existing Moron town, the capital of the Khusvgul province and sits along the path of the planned Erdenet to Ovoot railway. Nuurstei could be initially developed as a road based operation, trucking coal to Erdenet and become one of the first users of the Erdenet to Ovoot railway once the first section is completed.

Edited from press release by Angharad Lock

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/exploration-and-development/07102015/asx-nuurstei-exploration-update-1557/