Waratah Minerals continues to expand high-grade gold mineralisation at its Spur Gold Project in New South Wales, with drill hole SPD025 delivering multiple standout intercepts. The ongoing ten-rig program highlights growing potential for shallow, high-grade deposits across the district.
- SPD025 returns two +100 gram-metre high-grade gold intervals
- Consols zone mineralisation extended 75m along strike and 100m closer to surface
- Spur zone drilling confirms continuity and expands mineralisation eastward
- Ten-rig program actively advancing exploration with multiple pending assays
- Photon assay technique used for robust gold quantification
SPD025 Highlights Growing Scale of Consols Gold System
Waratah Minerals (ASX:WTM) has unveiled compelling assay results from its 100%-owned Spur Gold Project in New South Wales, with drill hole SPD025 at the Consols zone delivering a striking combination of multiple high-grade gold intercepts. The hole returned two intervals exceeding 100 gram-metres, including a 20m section grading 4.42 g/t Au and a standout 10m at 7.89 g/t Au within a broader 54m intercept averaging 1.88 g/t Au from 446m depth. A deeper 89m zone also averaged 0.63 g/t Au, featuring a 3m spike at 8.73 g/t Au and a remarkable 1m intercept hitting 20.59 g/t Au at 781m. These results extend mineralisation 75m west and 100m closer to surface beyond previous drilling, underscoring the expanding footprint of the Consols system.
Spur Zone Drilling Confirms Continuity and Eastward Expansion
On the Spur corridor, four drill holes on a single east-west section confirmed consistent high-grade zones, with SPD029 delivering a broad 93m intercept averaging 0.83 g/t Au from surface, including 69m at 1.02 g/t Au. Other holes such as SPD030 and SPD032 returned multiple high-grade intervals, pushing mineralisation further east and west within the corridor. Notably, SPD033 drilled 90m northwest of previous holes intersected narrow but very high-grade zones including 3m at 18.42 g/t Au and a 1m intercept at 42.39 g/t Au, highlighting the potential for discrete, rich shoots within the system.
Ten-Rig Program Accelerates Exploration Momentum
The ongoing drilling campaign now operates with 10 rigs onsite, systematically targeting extensions and new discoveries beyond known mineralised areas. Waratah’s Managing Director, Peter Duerden, emphasised the significance of the results, noting that the frequency and consistency of high-grade intersections at both Consols and Spur zones support the potential for additional shallow deposits. This follows a recent update where nine rigs were active, accelerating the project’s exploration pace and delivering a growing inventory of significant intercepts expanding high-grade gold zones.
Robust Sampling and Assay Techniques Underpin Confidence
Waratah continues to employ advanced diamond drilling techniques with triple tube core recovery and orientation, ensuring high-quality samples. Assays are conducted using the Chrysos PhotonAssay method, a chemical-free, non-destructive technique analysing larger sample sizes than traditional fire assays, improving accuracy especially in coarse gold settings. QAQC protocols include the insertion of certified reference materials and duplicate sampling, supporting the reliability of reported grades.
Broader Project Potential in a Premier Gold-Copper District
The Spur Gold Project sits within the East Lachlan region, a prolific gold-copper porphyry belt hosting major deposits like Cadia and Ridgeway. Waratah also holds tenure in western Victoria’s Stavely-Stawell Gold Project, further diversifying its exploration portfolio. The company’s ongoing step-out and infill drilling at Spur aim to delineate the link between epithermal and porphyry mineralisation styles, a key factor in unlocking the district’s full potential.
Bottom Line?
Waratah’s latest drilling results reinforce Spur’s growing stature as a high-grade gold system, but upcoming assay results and resource modelling will be critical to defining its economic scale.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the ongoing drilling convert high-grade intercepts into a defined resource?
- How might the link between epithermal and porphyry mineralisation influence project development?
- What impact will pending assays from the ten-rig program have on the project’s valuation?