New Age Exploration (ASX: NAE) has revealed a significant new shear-hosted gold discovery at its Lammerlaw Project in New Zealand, with drill hole LAMRC015 intersecting 24 metres at 1.66 g/t Au. This breakthrough expands the potential of the Lammerlaw Mineral Trend, a 5-kilometre prospective zone hosting multiple metals.
- LAMRC015 hits 24m @ 1.66 g/t Au shear-hosted mineralisation
- Diamond tail LAMDT015 shows mineralisation continuing beyond 95m
- Discovery points to a Macraes-style mineral system at Bella Prospect
- Lammerlaw Mineral Trend extends over 5 km with gold, antimony, tungsten
- Assays pending for 14 additional drill holes, results expected Q3 2026
Shear-Hosted Gold Discovery Shifts Lammerlaw Exploration
New Age Exploration (ASX:NAE) has struck a new vein of opportunity at its Lammerlaw Gold-Antimony Project in New Zealand, reporting a substantial shear-hosted gold mineralisation intercept from drill hole LAMRC015. The hole returned 24 metres at 1.66 g/t Au starting from 54 metres downhole, including higher-grade pockets of 7 metres at 1.79 g/t and 6 metres at 2.9 g/t towards the end of the reverse circulation (RC) drilling. A diamond core tail (LAMDT015) extending the hole to 95.8 metres revealed continuous visual mineralisation, with assays pending to confirm the grades.
This discovery marks a technical pivot for Lammerlaw, identifying a near-surface, tabular shear zone dipping approximately 30 degrees south within schist foliation, distinct from the previously targeted sub-vertical quartz veins that characterised exploration efforts. The Bella Prospect now emerges as a new Macraes-style mineral system, akin to the prolific Macraes Mine in Otago, which has produced over 5 million ounces of gold in its 35-year history. While New Age cautions that Lammerlaw is still early stage with no defined resource, the geological parallels are compelling.
Lammerlaw Mineral Trend Expands with New Geological Insights
The Lammerlaw Mineral Trend (LMT) itself is a tectonic-stratigraphic package up to 100 metres thick and stretching more than 5 kilometres along strike. Historically, exploration focused on narrow, sub-vertical quartz veins, but the new shear-hosted gold system adds a broader mineralisation style to the project’s portfolio. The Bella Prospect’s tabular geometry and schist host suggest a potentially large mineralised zone, with mineralisation remaining open to the west and at depth.
CEO Kirby Johnson highlighted the significance: "LAMRC015 confirms the potential for a substantial mineral system at Bella and points to the significant potential of the Lammerlaw Mineral Trend." The ongoing Phase 2 drilling program has 14 additional holes at Bella awaiting assay results due in Q3 2026, which will be critical to understanding the continuity and economic viability of this system.
Historic Context and Next Steps in Exploration
The Bella Prospect sits near historic workings from the late 1800s, where miners targeted high-grade quartz veins with reported grades up to 15.1 g/t Au. The shear-hosted mineralisation discovered by New Age was likely too deep for those early methods, indicating a new frontier beneath the surface. The diamond tail drilling’s visual mineralisation continuing to the hole’s end suggests the shear zone may extend beyond the current drill depth, potentially doubling the intercept length if assays confirm similar grades.
New Age’s methodical approach includes RC drilling with HQ3 diamond tails, and sample quality is assured through photon assay and portable XRF techniques, with rigorous QA/QC protocols. The company plans to integrate the pending assay data with updated drill plans and cross-sections to refine targeting. This discovery complements New Age’s broader exploration efforts, including its Western Australian Wagyu Gold Project and the recently acquired Wallah Silver Project in New South Wales, underscoring a diversified metals portfolio and active drilling calendar Phase 2 drilling program.
Bottom Line?
Pending assays from diamond tails and 14 more holes will be pivotal in defining the scale and grade continuity of this newly identified shear-hosted system at Lammerlaw.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the pending assays confirm the economic viability of the shear-hosted mineralisation?
- How extensive is the shear zone along strike and at depth beyond current drilling?
- Could the Lammerlaw Mineral Trend host multiple mineralisation styles that warrant a revised exploration model?