Nelson Resources Advances Gold Point Drilling with Nevada Rand Appointment

Nevada Rand Secured for Precision Underground Drilling

Nelson Resources (ASX:NES) has locked in Nevada Rand LLC as the underground diamond drilling contractor at its high-grade Gold Point Gold-Silver Project in Nevada. This appointment comes as a strategic follow-up to the company’s maiden underground drilling program at the historic Orleans Mine, where Nevada Rand previously completed critical rehabilitation work. The continuity offered by Nevada Rand’s familiarity with the mine environment is expected to streamline the transition from access restoration to drilling operations.

The follow-up diamond drilling phase is designed to extend exploration beyond the initial short-hole program now underway, aiming to test the Orleans vein system up to 40 metres beyond existing underground workings. This includes probing interpreted high-grade zones and potential parallel footwall structures, with the goal of refining geological understanding and resource potential.

Targeting High-Grade Extensions with Underground Access

Recent sampling from the Orleans 300-foot level has confirmed exceptionally high-grade mineralisation, with assays returning 77.9 grams per tonne gold and 46.1 grams per tonne silver over one metre from fault breccia adjacent to a historic stope. Previous underground samples have also yielded significant grades, reinforcing the priority of this target area.

Drilling from underground positions offers Nelson a tactical advantage: it enables drill holes to be positioned closer to target veins with improved geometry and precision compared to surface drilling. This approach is expected to reduce drilling metres and associated costs, while minimising surface disturbance; a notable efficiency gain in a historic mining district.

Scaling Up Exploration Across Gold Point

Gold Point hosts over 5 kilometres of underground workings spread across five historic mines, with more than 20 additional shafts providing multiple access points. Nelson’s broader strategy is to replicate the Orleans underground exploration model across the district, leveraging restored access, detailed mapping, sampling, and integrated 3D geological modelling to systematically test remnant and extension targets.

Following Orleans, the Great Western Mine has been earmarked as the next priority for access rehabilitation and underground drilling. Planning is underway to apply the lessons learned from Orleans to this site, signalling a methodical, staged approach to district-scale exploration.

Looking Ahead: Drilling and Data Integration

Nelson’s immediate focus includes continuing the initial short-hole drilling at Orleans, submitting samples for assay, and finalising plans for the diamond drilling program. The integration of drilling results with underground mapping and survey data will feed into the company’s mine-scale 3D model, enhancing structural and mineralisation understanding.

This appointment and program advance Nelson’s ambition to transform Gold Point’s historic underground infrastructure into a modern exploration platform, potentially unlocking new high-grade resources in a district with a legacy of rich production but significant unexplored potential.