Dreadnought Maps 12 Gold Corridors at Illaara with Follow-Up Drilling Set

Twelve Gold Corridors Emerge from Wide-Spaced Drilling

Dreadnought Resources (ASX:DRE) has revealed assay results from a substantial air core drilling campaign at its Illaara Gold Project in Western Australia’s Yilgarn Craton. The program, comprising approximately 500 holes totaling around 35,000 metres, has delineated 12 distinct gold mineralised corridors stretching from 1.5 to over 7 kilometres in strike length. These corridors exhibit strong orogenic gold pathfinder elements such as silver, arsenic, molybdenum, antimony, tellurium, and tungsten, signalling compelling exploration targets.

Remarkably, this first-pass drilling has only tested about 10% of the Illaara greenstone belt, underscoring the scale of the opportunity. The wide-spaced drilling, with lines roughly 800 metres apart and holes spaced 200 metres along each line, was designed to rapidly screen the region for broad-scale anomalism indicative of gold mineralisation beneath the deep weathered cover typical of the Yilgarn.

From 60 km2 to a Focused 5-10 km2 Target Zone

According to Managing Director Dean Tuck, the initial program has successfully narrowed the exploration focus from nearly 60 km2 of greenstone belt to a more manageable 5-10 km2 of priority ground for detailed follow-up. This reduction is critical in targeting the most prospective zones for subsequent, closer-spaced infill air core drilling and eventual reverse circulation (RC) or diamond drilling.

The program has notably extended the Black Oak corridor to over 7 km, with intercepts including 21 metres at 0.3 g/t gold from surface, featuring higher-grade intervals such as 3 metres at 1.4 g/t from 36 metres depth. Similarly, the CRA-Homestead prospect covers a 2 km strike with intercepts like 30 metres at 0.2 g/t gold from 90 metres. These shallow intercepts starting from surface are particularly encouraging for potential open-pit mining scenarios.

Illaara’s Strategic Position and Underexplored Status

Illaara’s ~800 km2 landholding spans about 70 km of greenstone belt approximately 190 km northwest of Kalgoorlie. Historically, the belt was overlooked for gold exploration due to its prior focus on iron ore potential and logistical challenges such as remoteness and lack of water. Dreadnought acquired the project from Newmont in 2019 and has since consolidated the entire belt, enabling the first systematic modern gold exploration campaign.

The project benefits from proximity to established gold mills at Davyhurst and Bottle Creek, which could facilitate future processing. The shallow, high-grade Metzke’s Find deposit within Illaara, with a recently updated resource of 24,900 ounces at 5.2 g/t gold, provides a solid foundation for the broader exploration effort.

Next Steps: Infill Drilling and New Targets

With assay results still pending for some southern areas of the belt, Dreadnought plans to commence an infill air core drilling program in August 2026 targeting the Black Oak and CRA-Homestead corridors. This will refine the geometry and grade continuity of the mineralised structures ahead of more advanced drilling techniques.

In parallel, further first-pass air core drilling will expand into new areas of Illaara, aiming to unlock additional mineralised corridors. The company’s approach leverages a combination of geochemical and geophysical methods, including magnetic and gravity surveys, to identify hidden structures beneath surface cover.

Dreadnought’s strategy to evolve into a self-funded explorer is underpinned by advancing shallow, high-grade resources like Metzke’s Find, where mining and processing are outsourced to third parties, allowing internal cashflows to focus on discovery.