Aurora Prospect Yields Up to 10.8 g/t Gold in Pearl Copper Project Sampling

Discovery of Aurora Prospect

Golden Mile Resources Ltd (ASX: G88) has announced the identification of a compelling new gold target, the Aurora Prospect, within its Pearl Copper Project located in Arizona, USA. Reconnaissance rock chip sampling has yielded high-grade gold assays up to 10.8 grams per tonne (g/t) and silver assays reaching 33.9 g/t, marking the highest gold grades recorded to date at this newly defined prospect.

The Aurora Prospect lies approximately 800 metres east of the established Pearl Mine workings at the Odyssey Prospect, positioned along a similar northwest-trending fault zone. The discovery is centred on historic mine workings and features brecciated, shear-hosted ferruginous quartz veins with pervasive iron staining, an indicator of oxidised sulphide mineralisation.

Context Within the Pearl Copper Project

This discovery adds a significant gold dimension to the Pearl Project, which has historically been recognised primarily for its copper and polymetallic mineralisation. Previous sampling at the Odyssey and Ford Prospects had already demonstrated exceptional grades of silver, copper, lead, and zinc, with assays including up to 930 g/t silver and 15.2% copper. The Aurora Prospect’s high-grade gold assays complement these findings, underscoring the project's multi-element potential.

At the Ford Prospect, further rock chip sampling confirmed the presence of polymetallic mineralisation with gold up to 0.67 g/t, silver to 5.66 g/t, copper to 4.47%, lead to 4.38%, and zinc to 2.52%. These results reinforce the historical reports of mineralisation and highlight the prospectivity of the broader project area.

Strategic Next Steps and Exploration Outlook

Golden Mile’s Managing Director, Damon Dormer, emphasized the significance of the Aurora Prospect discovery as a third major target within the Pearl Project. The company is prioritizing the Odyssey and Ford Prospects for an imminent maiden reverse circulation (RC) drilling program, with all necessary permits submitted to the Bureau of Land Management and Arizona State Land Department. Drill contractor selection is in its final stages, and the company anticipates permit approvals shortly, enabling a swift mobilization to commence drilling.

The planned drilling will target high-grade zones beneath historical workings, aiming to delineate the extent and continuity of mineralisation. Notably, despite the project's location in a Tier 1 mining jurisdiction with excellent infrastructure and proximity to major historic mines such as BHP’s San Manuel-Kalamazoo deposit, the Pearl Project has never been subjected to modern exploration drilling until now.

Geological Significance and Regional Potential

The Pearl Copper Project is situated within the prolific Laramide Porphyry Copper Province, a key metallogenic belt responsible for approximately 70% of U.S. copper production. The discovery of the Aurora Prospect’s high-grade gold mineralisation along structurally complex shear zones near the Oracle Granodiorite and Cloudburst Volcanics boundary suggests a fertile environment for both porphyry copper and epithermal gold-silver deposits.

Golden Mile’s exploration approach, combining detailed geological mapping with systematic rock chip sampling, has proven effective in identifying new targets in a historically underexplored district. The company’s confidence in uncovering additional prospects through further regional sampling is well-founded, given the scale and tenor of mineralisation encountered to date.