Deep Drilling Uncovers New Risks and Rewards at Hopes Hill Gold Project
Golden Horse Minerals has reported promising initial assay results from its first diamond drill hole at Hopes Hill, revealing high-grade gold mineralisation at unprecedented depths and expanding the project's underground potential.
- First diamond drill hole intersects 4.4m at 9.3 g/t gold from 339m depth
- Deepest hole drilled in Hopes Hill district confirms multiple new target areas
- Reverse circulation drilling extends mineralisation in northern zone with 30m at 2.2 g/t gold
- Down hole electromagnetic survey completed to identify further high-grade targets
- Potential mineralisation extension over 4.5km towards Lake Koorkoordine
Deep Discovery at Hopes Hill
Golden Horse Minerals has unveiled exciting initial assay results from its maiden diamond drill hole (GHHHRCD0054) at the Hopes Hill project in Western Australia's Southern Cross region. The hole, which is the deepest ever drilled in the district, intersected a significant high-grade gold zone measuring 4.4 metres at 9.3 grams per tonne (g/t) from 339 metres below the surface. This includes an even richer section of 1.9 metres at 20.7 g/t gold, highlighting the potential for substantial underground mineralisation far below previous drilling depths.
Expanding the Underground Potential
The discovery is particularly notable as it lies approximately 300 metres vertically below surface and more than 160 metres beneath earlier drill holes, confirming the presence of a south-plunging high-grade system that remains open in all directions. This breakthrough opens up multiple new target areas for exploration and confirms the project's potential to support deeper underground mining operations, a significant step forward for Golden Horse Minerals.
Complementary Drilling Success
Alongside the diamond drilling, the ongoing reverse circulation (RC) drilling program has delivered strong results in the northern zone of Hopes Hill. Notably, hole GHHHRC0059 returned 30 metres at 2.2 g/t gold from 157 metres, including 10 metres at 4.7 g/t gold from 177 metres. This broadening of mineralisation at depth extends the known high-grade zones and suggests a continuous mineralised trend plunging southwards for over 850 metres, intersecting the diamond drill hole and historic high-grade intersections.
Geophysical Insights and Future Plans
Golden Horse Minerals has also completed the first stage of a down hole electromagnetic (DHEM) survey designed to detect new and extensional high-grade targets. Results from this survey are anticipated shortly and will guide the next phase of drilling. The company plans to undertake additional diamond drilling to test deeper extensional targets identified from the current data, alongside expanding the RC drilling program to fast-track shallow targets and support diamond drilling pre-collars.
Strategic Implications
These results reinforce the geological model of structurally hosted orogenic gold mineralisation at Hopes Hill, with mineralisation associated with quartz veining and alteration near lithological contacts. The discovery of mineralised structures extending over a potential 4.5-kilometre strike towards and beneath Lake Koorkoordine suggests a significant resource upside. Managing Director Nicholas Anderson expressed enthusiasm about the timing, given strong gold prices and the company’s robust financial position, signaling an aggressive exploration push ahead.
Bottom Line?
Golden Horse Minerals’ deep drilling success at Hopes Hill sets the stage for a potentially transformative resource expansion.
Questions in the middle?
- What will the remaining assay results from the first diamond drill hole reveal about the continuity of high-grade mineralisation?
- How will the upcoming DHEM survey results influence the targeting and scale of future drilling campaigns?
- What are the implications of the structural offsets and deeper granite contacts for discovering hidden lodes?
