Taruga Minerals Confirms Large-Scale Epithermal Gold-Silver System at East Normanby

District-Scale Gold-Silver Mineralisation Emerges at East Normanby

Taruga Minerals (ASX:TAR) has delivered compelling assay results from its initial field program at the East Normanby Gold Project on Normanby Island, Papua New Guinea, confirming a large-scale epithermal gold-silver system extending across the northern Weioko corridor. Multiple rock chip samples from the Lataona Hill and Sipupu prospects returned gold grades up to 3.2 g/t and silver up to 66 g/t, reinforcing the continuity of mineralisation over an 8-kilometre structural trend.

The standout assays include 3.2 g/t Au with 22 g/t Ag, 2.2 g/t Au, and 2.0 g/t Au from selective rock chips, many of which are float samples indicating mineralised sources upstream remain untested. Elevated arsenic and antimony pathfinder elements further support the presence of a coherent low-sulphidation epithermal system, characterised by classic textures such as bladed quartz and chalcedonic breccia.

Weioko Gold Deposit Drilling Advances Amidst Broader Exploration

With all three East Normanby exploration licences granted, covering a combined 488 square kilometres, Taruga is progressing drill site preparation at the Weioko Gold Deposit. Historical trenching and drill intercepts at Weioko include high-grade hits such as 64.6 metres at 2.2 g/t Au from surface and 108 metres at 2.4 g/t Au including 28 metres at 4.9 g/t Au, underscoring the deposit’s potential. The upcoming maiden drill campaign aims to test lateral and depth extensions of this mineralisation.

Alongside drilling, Taruga plans to extend its systematic geochemical sampling and trenching programs across the Weioko Gold District, which spans from Wenasia in the south to Sipupu in the north. Previous surface sampling by Taruga returned rock chip assays as high as 23.2 g/t Au at Weioko and 2.4 g/t Au with 82 g/t Ag at Wenasia, reinforcing the district’s multi-prospect scale potential.

Geological Setting and Exploration Strategy

The East Normanby Project’s geology comprises Cretaceous to Eocene metamorphic rocks overlain by Mio-Pliocene sediments and volcanics, with associated Pliocene intrusives. This setting is conducive to structurally controlled epithermal gold-silver mineralisation. Taruga’s recent assays confirm mineralisation is not confined to a single deposit but distributed across multiple high-grade centres within the Weioko corridor.

Non-Executive Chairman Paul Cronin emphasised the significance of these results, noting the coherent geochemical pathfinder suite and the extensive granted tenure enabling access to prospective upstream ground. The company is integrating geochemical, structural, and geophysical data to prioritise drill targets across the district.

Outlook for Second Half 2026

As Taruga advances its maiden drilling campaign at Weioko, the second half of 2026 promises to be pivotal. The company is poised to unlock further insights from expanded sampling and trenching across its extensive licences. The confirmation of a large-scale epithermal system along an 8km corridor elevates the prospectivity of the East Normanby Project within Taruga’s portfolio, which also includes the Kol Mountain copper-gold project on New Britain Island.