Exploration Risks Loom as Stavely Pushes Into Early-Stage S41 Gold Breccia System

Stavely Project’s Established Base

Stavely Minerals continues to build on its reputation as a modern Australian energy metals growth company with its flagship Stavely Project. Central to its portfolio is the Cayley Lode, a shallow, high-grade copper-gold-silver mineral resource first discovered in 2019. With an estimated 9.3 million tonnes grading 1.23% copper and 0.23 grams per tonne gold, the resource remains open at depth, offering a solid foundation for the company’s growth ambitions.

Expanding Gold Horizons at Fairview

Renewed focus on gold exploration has Stavely targeting the Fairview North and South prospects, where recent drilling has delivered encouraging results. At Fairview North, Phase 1 drilling returned broad zones of gold mineralisation, including 27 meters at 2.33 grams per tonne gold starting near surface, with higher-grade intervals within. Phase 2 drilling has extended these targets, with assays pending, and plans to test additional structural flexures suggest further upside.

Fairview South has also yielded impressive intercepts, notably a 40-meter zone grading 1.96 grams per tonne gold, including a standout 1-meter interval at 49.2 grams per tonne. These results, combined with rock chip samples showing gold grades up to 25.6 grams per tonne, underscore the prospect’s potential. The geological setting, at the intersection of major structures and associated with felsic intrusions, supports the case for a significant gold system.

S41 Breccia, An Emerging Gold Target

The S41 breccia-hosted gold prospect represents an early-stage but compelling opportunity. Identified through advanced geophysical surveys beneath basalt cover, only one diamond drill hole has tested the system to date, revealing gold and silver mineralisation associated with base metals. The scale of the breccia system, approximately 2 kilometers by 750 meters, along with planned induced polarisation geophysics and follow-up drilling, positions S41 as a priority for discovery potential.

Metallurgical Testwork Supports Low-Cost Extraction

Complementing the exploration success, metallurgical testwork on Fairview North samples has demonstrated excellent gold recoveries. Bottle roll and column leach tests indicate up to 96% gold extraction within 24 hours, with gravity plus leach recoveries reaching 95%. These results suggest that low-cost heap leach processing could be a viable extraction method, enhancing the economic prospects of the gold discoveries.

Strategic Outlook and Market Position

Stavely Minerals controls approximately 130 kilometers of tenure across the fertile Stavely volcanic belt, an Andean-style continental margin volcanic arc known for world-class gold and copper mineralisation. The company’s ongoing nine-month intensive drilling program targets multiple prospects, including the copper-silver Junction target, where access remains a priority. With a market capitalisation near AUD 11 million and a recent share price of AUD 0.016, Stavely is positioning itself for growth as assay results and exploration updates unfold.