After its big 2017 drilling programme - about 138,000m drilled - on the Sugar and Middle Zones at its flagship project recently generated an expanded total resource of 1.5 million ounces, Harte Gold has continued drilling extensions to the main zones and now come up with the 23m-wide ‘Footwall Zone' intercept about 50m east of the Middle Zone.

Harte said the Footwall Zone had anomalous gold mineralisation over its 23m length, with a high-grade section of 7.66m grading 5.41g/t, including 14.8g/t over 2.12m. It was first intersected at the south end of Sugar Zone early last year, but Harte said the latest drill result suggested "an entirely new zone of broad mineralisation that may stretch over a wide area".

"This new discovery east of the Middle Zone has the potential to add significant new gold ounces to our recently updated resource," Roman said.

"It is much wider than the Sugar Zone and as it was intersected at a relatively shallow depth, we feel it may continue to improve as we drill deeper."

Harte says drilling between the Sugar Zone and Middle Zone confirmed potential for convergence of the two zones at depth.

Meanwhile, underground mine development continues and the Sugar Zone mill construction is reportedly 60% complete and on schedule for commissioning in the September quarter this year.