Lappland Guldprospektering has obtained a new exploration permit covering most historical drilling at the Gubbträsk gold and base-metals prospect in northern Sweden, providing access to an extensive geological dataset. The Swedish Mining Inspectorate granted the Gubbträsk No. 102 permit. The licence covers 3,806 hectares in Västerbotten County and is valid for three years. The new permit borders the company’s existing 3,144-hectare Gubbträsk No. 101 licence. Of the 86 historical drill holes recorded at Gubbträsk, 84 are located within the newly awarded permit area.
Historical Drilling and Mineralisation
Previous exploration at Gubbträsk reported a best intersection of 6 metres grading 11.15 grams of gold per tonne. The reported interval represents down-hole length, while its true width has not been established. Historical work identified gold mineralisation together with parallel zones containing zinc, lead and silver. Exploration conducted between 2004 and 2008 included approximately 8,800 metres of core drilling and more than 600 geochemical holes across an area measuring about 1.5 kilometres by 500 metres.
An estimate published in 2007 identified approximately 700,000 tonnes grading 1.6 grams of gold per tonne, alongside 2.1 million tonnes containing 1.2% zinc, 1.1% lead and 11 grams of silver per tonne. The historical figures were prepared under the Swedish reporting rules applicable at the time and cannot be treated as a current mineral resource.
Unincorporated Drilling and Resource Review
Around 4,000 metres of drilling completed after the historical estimate were not included in a published update. Lappland Guldprospektering plans to examine the preserved drill core, geological logs and laboratory certificates to assess whether the accumulated information can support a new mineral resource estimate under the PERC reporting standard.
The preserved drill core provides access to existing geological information without requiring the company to immediately reproduce the entire historical drilling programme. Repeating the historical drilling and associated assaying is estimated to cost close to SEK18 million, based on a contemporary drilling cost of slightly below SEK2,000 per metre. Permit fees for the initial three-year period are below SEK80,000.
Gubbträsk Along Sweden’s Gold Line
Gubbträsk is located approximately 27 kilometres north of Lappland Guldprospektering’s principal Stortjärnhobben project, along Sweden’s Gold Line. The company plans to review the historical information before determining the amount of confirmatory drilling required for a PERC-compliant resource estimate. Historical assays and the previous estimate require independent verification, while further drilling may be needed to establish mineralisation continuity and true widths. The preserved dataset will form the basis of the company’s initial evaluation of Gubbträsk and its potential for a modern resource model.
