North Stawell Minerals has expanded its soil geochemistry program at the Darlington Prospect, revealing a significant 600-metre offset in gold mineralisation and reinforcing the potential for high-grade deposits along the Darlington-Caledonia trend.
- Expanded soil sampling confirms 600m northeast offset of Darlington mineralised trend
- Surface geochemistry aligns with historic geology and high-grade drill intercepts
- Ongoing diamond drilling program completed; assay results pending
- Additional air core drilling planned for early 2026 to test near-surface mineralisation
- Company raised $500,000 to fund continued exploration through 2026
Expanding the Exploration Footprint
North Stawell Minerals (ASX, NSM) has recently completed an expanded soil sampling program at its Darlington Prospect within the North Stawell Project in Victoria, Australia. This program, covering a 700m by 700m area with closely spaced samples, has identified a previously unrecognized 600-metre northeast offset of the known mineralised Darlington trend. The findings provide fresh impetus for the company’s ongoing exploration efforts along the 3.6-kilometre Darlington-Caledonia gold corridor.
Geochemical Signals and Geological Context
The soil geochemistry results correlate strongly with the established geology and historic gold mineralisation patterns, including the high-grade intercepts from recent diamond drilling. Notably, the high-grade drill hole NSD057 intersected 2.3 metres at 29.2 grams per tonne gold, situated within the newly delineated geochemical anomaly. These results reinforce the interpretation that the Darlington Prospect hosts Mariners-type mineralisation; characterised by brecciated quartz veins and carbonaceous shales; analogous to the high-grade Mariners lodes near the Stawell Gold Mine.
Strategic Drilling and Future Programs
The current diamond drilling program, initiated in September 2025, has now been completed with assay results awaited. Complementing this, North Stawell Minerals plans to commence an air core drilling campaign in early 2026 to test near-surface gold mineralisation suggested by the soil geochemistry. This staged approach aims to refine drill targets and potentially extend mineralisation at depth. The company also intends to extend surface geochemical sampling northwards towards the Caledonia Prospect, which shares similar geological features and less complex land access.
Funding and Forward Outlook
Supporting these exploration activities, North Stawell Minerals recently secured an additional $500,000 through a placement to professional and sophisticated investors. This capital injection ensures the company is well-positioned to advance its exploration programs through the second half of 2026. The Darlington-Caledonia trend remains the company’s key focus, with multiple strands of evidence pointing to the potential for near-surface repeats of multi-million-ounce gold deposits akin to those at Stawell.
Challenges and Considerations
While the geochemical anomalies are encouraging, they are subtle and complicated by restricted access in some areas, particularly Crown Reserve lands requiring detailed approvals. The company’s ability to navigate these access challenges will be critical to fully delineate the mineralised system. Moreover, the exploration remains at a conceptual stage with no defined mineral resource yet, underscoring the importance of forthcoming assay results to validate the model.
Bottom Line?
With promising geochemical footprints and fresh drilling completed, North Stawell Minerals is poised for a pivotal phase in its quest to unlock high-grade gold along the Darlington-Caledonia trend.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the pending assay results confirm the high-grade potential indicated by recent drilling?
- How will land access restrictions impact the pace and scope of future exploration?
- Can the Darlington-Caledonia trend deliver a resource comparable to the nearby Stawell deposits?