PLC Resources Begins Maiden Drilling at Rochefort Gold Prospect

Maiden Drilling Kicks Off at Rochefort Prospect

PLC Resources Limited (ASX:PLC) is mobilising a drill rig to commence its inaugural reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign at the Rochefort Gold Prospect on 18 May 2026. The program will consist of up to five holes totalling approximately 1,000 metres, designed to test a well-defined gold-in-soil anomaly and high-grade quartz-hematite vein mineralisation within the Abbotts North Project.

Rochefort stands out with a substantial gold-in-soil anomaly spanning roughly 400 by 350 metres, featuring peak soil values reaching 30 parts per billion (ppb) gold and UltraFine™ assays up to 42.9 ppb Au. Rock chip sampling has returned impressive grades up to 11.7 grams per tonne gold, highlighting the prospect’s potential within a structurally complex setting of fractionated quartz dolerite host rocks. These characteristics are consistent with major gold systems in the Yilgarn Craton.

Strategic Location in a Proven Gold Belt

Rochefort lies about 20 kilometres north of New Murchison Gold Ltd’s (ASX:NMG) producing Crown Prince deposit, which hosts a high-grade resource of 2.2 million tonnes at 3.9 g/t gold for 279,000 ounces. This proximity situates Rochefort within the same underexplored Abbotts Greenstone Belt, a region that has historically seen limited modern exploration despite hosting prolific historic high-grade gold production. The structural complexity revealed by recent ground gravity and airborne magnetic surveys has informed the drill design to optimally intersect interpreted north-south trending quartz-hematite veins and associated alteration zones.

The drill collars are positioned to provide cross-sectional coverage of the core anomaly, with step-out holes planned to test strike extensions beneath shallow cover. This approach reflects a methodical first pass at what PLC describes as a “genuine discovery opportunity” in a gold-producing district.

Exploration Backed by Recent Geophysics

The Rochefort drilling program follows a high-resolution ground gravity survey completed in March 2026, which confirmed that mineralisation is structurally controlled at the intersection of multiple north-south trending faults and a major northwest-striking geological contact. This geophysical work, combined with soil and rock chip sampling, has sharpened the focus on Rochefort as a compelling drill target. The program is being executed by Drill West, a specialist contractor engaged to deliver precise and efficient drilling operations.

PLC’s Executive Director Simon Phillips emphasised the rarity of an untested gold target with such robust geological indicators in the Murchison region: “With Crown Prince in production 20 kilometres south, this is a meaningful first test of what we believe is a genuine discovery opportunity.”

Abbotts North Project and Regional Potential

The Abbotts North Project sits 35 km north of Meekatharra, within a world-class gold district accessible via major highways. The Abbotts Greenstone Belt hosts historic high-grade gold centres such as the Abbotts mining centre, which produced gold at exceptional grades exceeding 30 g/t. Despite this, modern exploration within PLC’s tenure has been minimal, underscoring the underexplored nature of the area and the potential for new discoveries.

Nearby, New Murchison Gold Ltd has advanced the Crown Prince deposit into production, with recent regional exploration successes including the Lydia Prospect, which shares geological similarities with Rochefort. Lydia has returned impressive drill intercepts such as 3 metres at 32.9 g/t gold, reinforcing the prospectivity of the belt. While Rochefort’s mineralisation and structural setting echo these regional analogues, the extent and economic viability remain to be demonstrated through drilling results.

This maiden drilling at Rochefort follows a sequence of geophysical and sampling milestones, including the recent high-resolution gravity survey and rock chip assay highlights that underpin the current drill targeting strategy.