Moho Resources has kicked off a 5,000m drilling campaign at its Rocky Ridge gold prospect, aiming to unlock extensions beneath historic high-grade underground workings. Early soil sampling has also revealed fresh gold targets near historic pits, setting the stage for a busy exploration season at Bush Chook.
- Drilling targets high-grade shear zone missed by previous explorers
- Historic underground grades include bonanza intervals up to 101g/t Au
- New soil sampling identifies 1.5km gold trend near old open pits
- Multiple shallow gold prospects planned for testing in 2026 RC program
- Exploration focused on Bush Chook Project in Western Australia’s Pilbara
Drilling Targets Untested High-Grade Gold Below Historic Workings
Moho Resources Ltd (ASX:MOH) has commenced a significant reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at its newly acquired Rocky Ridge Prospect within the Bush Chook Project, aiming to test extensions of a high-grade, north-dipping shear zone that historic explorers missed. The program, spanning 5,000 metres, is designed to probe approximately 200 metres along strike and 100 metres down dip beneath underground workings that produced exceptional grades, including channel samples of 8 metres at 28.5 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and bonanza-grade intervals up to 0.4 metres at 101g/t Au.
This drilling orientation is a marked departure from previous efforts, which targeted the shear zone from the northwest. Moho’s southeast-oriented holes are optimised to intersect the north-dipping shear zone exposed in the historic Southwest Adit 1, which remains open at depth and along strike. The shear zone’s true thickness is estimated at around 2 metres, with an antimony association reminiscent of AIM Mining’s Blue Spec Gold Project, a notable regional analogue.
Historic mining and exploration underpin the target’s promise: Rocky Ridge, historically known as the Mountain Maid Mine, was mined sporadically between 1906 and 1917, producing 341 tonnes of ore at an average grade of 85g/t Au over a 120-metre strike and down to 40 metres depth. Subsequent exploration drives and drilling in 1987, 2004, and 2017 confirmed the shear zone’s continuity and high-grade potential, but the area below 40 metres remains largely untested. Moho’s program aims to fill this critical gap.
Soil Sampling Uncovers New Gold Trends Near Historic Mines
Alongside drilling, Moho has released initial results from its 2026 soil sampling campaign, which has already defined multiple new gold targets. Notably, a 1.5-kilometre-long gold anomaly trending above 32 parts per billion (ppb) gold has emerged just 400 metres east of historic open pit mines, with peak soil assays reaching 1.75g/t Au. This newly identified trend will be the focus of follow-up geological mapping and rock chip sampling to advance it to drill-ready status.
The soil program, comprising nearly 4,700 samples collected on an 80m by 40m grid, is ongoing, with only about 25% of assays pending. The early data suggest a robust pipeline of targets beyond Rocky Ridge, reinforcing Moho’s view that Bush Chook is entering a discovery-rich phase.
Multiple Shallow Gold Prospects to Be Tested in 2026 RC Program
The drilling campaign will also test several shallower gold prospects across the Bush Chook Project, including Gage Road, CBco, Single Fin, Little Creature, and Swan. These prospects have demonstrated encouraging surface mineralisation through trenching and rock chip sampling, with assays such as 9m at 1.85g/t Au at Gage Road and rock chips up to 5.6g/t Au at Little Creature. The program aims to delineate these targets further and assess their potential for resource development.
Moho’s chairman, Peter Christie, emphasised the strategic importance of the drilling and soil results: "Rocky Ridge remains largely untested below the historic workings despite exceptional historic mine grades and bonanza-grade mineralisation underground. With drilling now underway and multiple new gold anomalies emerging from soils, we believe Bush Chook is entering a strong period of discovery-focused news flow throughout 2026 and beyond."
Moho’s recent expansion of the Bush Chook Project through the Rocky Ridge acquisition and the planned 5,000m drilling campaign were covered in earlier updates, highlighting the company’s growing focus on high-grade gold-antimony systems in the Pilbara region. The current drilling orientation and soil sampling results mark a deliberate step to unlock new mineralisation overlooked by prior explorers, potentially reshaping the project’s value proposition. Rocky Ridge acquisition and May drilling and High-grade gold expansion at Bush Chook
Exploration Strategy Anchored in a Proven Mining District
Bush Chook lies within the Mosquito Creek Basin of the Pilbara Craton, a region known for orogenic gold and gold-antimony deposits. The project’s geology and mineralisation style are comparable to nearby AIM Mining’s Blue Spec and Golden Eagle deposits, both significant producers. Moho’s exploration approach leverages historical data, modern soil geochemistry, and targeted drilling to systematically test extensions and new targets.
The company’s technical team, led by Exploration Manager Graeme Hardwick, has applied rigorous sampling and assay protocols consistent with JORC standards. Early-stage results from soil and rock chip sampling have been independently verified, and the company emphasizes that assay results from the current drilling campaign are expected in about six weeks, subject to typical exploration uncertainties.
Bottom Line?
Moho’s targeted drilling at Rocky Ridge and emerging soil anomalies set the stage for potentially significant discoveries, but assay results will be critical to validate the high-grade potential below historic workings.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the southeast-oriented drilling confirm extensions of the high-grade shear zone below 40 metres?
- How will the new 1.5km soil gold trend near historic pits translate into drill targets and resource potential?
- Can Moho’s multiple shallow prospects add meaningful ounces to the Bush Chook project in the near term?