Cosmo Metals has kicked off a targeted RC drilling campaign at its Kanowna Gold Project in WA, aiming to unlock significant gold deposits along the Kanowna Shear Zone with government co-funding support.
- RC drilling targets structural and sediment hosted gold
- Focus on Adder trend and Don Alvaro prospect
- Co-funded deep diamond drilling at Laguna Verde
- Project adjacent to Northern Star’s Kanowna Belle mine
- Potential for Invincible-style high-grade gold deposits
High Impact Drilling Commences at Kanowna
Cosmo Metals Ltd (ASX:CMO) has initiated a high-stakes reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at its Kanowna Gold Project (KGP), situated just 13km north of Kalgoorlie and neighbouring Northern Star Resources’ (ASX:NST) prolific +7Moz Kanowna Belle mine. The campaign aims to probe structural and sediment hosted gold mineralisation along the Kanowna Shear Zone, a well-recognised corridor for significant gold systems.
This first phase involves up to six RC holes, ranging between 110m and 250m depth, including a ~100m pre-collar for a 400m deep diamond drill hole at Laguna Verde, co-funded by the WA Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS). The program targets high conviction zones such as the ~2km Adder trend and the western extension of the Don Alvaro prospect, where historic drilling returned notable intercepts like 18m at 5.3g/t Au from 24m and 10m at 4.7g/t Au from 32m.
Drilling below 100m has been sparse historically, despite promising shallow gold anomalism. For example, previous results included 32m at 0.44g/t Au from 116m at Adder, highlighting the potential for deeper mineralisation. Cosmo’s approach builds on extensive geochemical and structural datasets to refine these targets, aiming to uncover deposits akin to the high-grade +1Moz Invincible Gold deposit at St Ives, known for wide, high-grade lodes over nearly 2km strike.
Strategic Location and Geological Setting
KGP covers 32km2 of contiguous tenure bisected by over 8km of the Kanowna Shear Zone, a permissive structure hosting widespread pathfinder element anomalies including arsenic, antimony, and bismuth. The project’s proximity to Kalgoorlie and multiple processing plants within 20–30km offers logistical advantages for any future development.
Cosmo’s Managing Director, Ian Prentice, emphasised the quality of the targets, stating the team has capitalised on previous shallow drilling and geochemical work to define compelling targets for this high impact program. The company anticipates sharing assay results in the coming weeks, which will be closely watched given the project’s potential.
Government Support and Broader Exploration Efforts
The inclusion of a co-funded diamond drill hole at Laguna Verde under the WA Government’s EIS reflects a level of external validation and risk-sharing that could accelerate exploration progress. This drilling campaign follows Cosmo’s recent capital raising, which secured $1.55 million to fund exploration across its portfolio, including Kanowna and its NSW projects, demonstrating a coordinated push to advance multiple fronts simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Cosmo continues systematic exploration at its NSW projects, recently identifying high-priority VMS copper-gold targets at Bingara, complementing its gold-focused efforts in WA. The company’s technical team is leveraging a multi-commodity strategy, balancing gold, antimony, copper, and base metals prospects across its holdings.
Given the limited historic drilling below 100m and the presence of significant gold anomalism, the current program at Kanowna could materially enhance the project’s resource profile if the assays confirm deeper, higher-grade mineralisation. The proximity to established infrastructure and major gold mines adds to the potential economic viability of any discovery.
Bottom Line?
Assay results from Kanowna’s deeper targets will be pivotal in defining Cosmo’s next exploration phase and potential resource upgrades.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the deeper drilling at Adder and Don Alvaro confirm extensions of high-grade mineralisation?
- How might the co-funded Laguna Verde diamond hole influence future government support?
- Could discoveries at Kanowna shift Cosmo’s focus or capital allocation among its WA and NSW projects?