Lodestar Confirms Extensive IOCG Mineralisation at Three Saints with Multi-Metal Assays

First Drill Hole Validates Large IOCG System

Lodestar Minerals (ASX:LSR) has delivered a significant exploration milestone with assay results from its maiden diamond drill hole (L3SRD003) at the Three Saints IOCG Project in Chile. The hole, reaching 600 metres depth, confirmed the presence of copper, gold, cobalt, and molybdenum mineralisation consistent with iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) style deposits. This multi-element signature and the structural control of mineralisation underpin the potential scale and complexity of the system.

Mineralisation was intersected from 197 metres down to the hole’s end, with multiple anomalous intervals including a standout 0.42 metres at 0.77% copper and 0.38 g/t gold. The presence of cobalt and molybdenum alongside copper and gold marks several distinct mineralising events, ranging from IOCG-style copper-gold-iron assemblages to late-stage quartz veins carrying molybdenum and gold.

Expansive Footprint and Structural Controls

The mineralised system already demonstrates a footprint exceeding 1.6 kilometres in width and remains open in all directions, both laterally and at depth. This broad distribution suggests the drill hole intersected the outer zones of a fertile mineralising system, with the geophysical anomaly and alteration halo still largely untested towards its interpreted core.

Structural corridors hosting mineralisation were identified as narrow zones of chalcopyrite-pyrite and magnetite alteration within tonalite host rocks. The iron content distribution at depth serves as a proxy for hydrothermal magnetite addition, highlighting the intensity of the IOCG event. The complexity of mineralisation events, including metasomatic veining and late-stage gold-cobalt quartz veins, points to a dynamic geological history and multiple pulses of mineralising fluids.

Next Steps Focus on Targeting Higher-Grade Zones

Lodestar plans to reprocess its magnetic geophysical survey data using the new drilling information as calibration. This integrated approach aims to refine the geological model, better understand the controls on mineralisation, and pinpoint the core of the mineralised system for future drilling campaigns. Assay results from a second drill hole, L3SDD004, are expected within the next month and will further inform this reinterpretation.

The company’s CEO Coraline Blaud emphasised the encouraging nature of these results, noting the assays confirmed visual mineralisation and provided a strong indication of the project’s prospectivity. The combination of multi-element assays and structural insights offers a robust foundation for advancing exploration at Three Saints.

Context Within Lodestar’s Broader Exploration Push

This confirmation of IOCG-style mineralisation builds on Lodestar’s recent progress across its portfolio, including copper-gold targets at Los Loros and rare earths in the USA. The company’s ongoing drilling programs and capital raising efforts aim to accelerate resource definition across multiple jurisdictions. The Three Saints results dovetail with this momentum, providing tangible evidence of a significant mineral system in a well-established Chilean mining region.

While the true widths of mineralisation remain unknown and metallurgical recoveries are currently assumed from analogous deposits, the scale and multi-element nature of the system warrant close attention. The upcoming assay data and geophysical reinterpretation will be critical in assessing the potential for higher-grade, continuous mineralisation zones.