Right Resources has upgraded Rising Sun and Midnight Star to high-priority drill-ready gold-copper targets after revisiting three decades of historic data at its New England Project in NSW.
- Rising Sun shows coincident EM anomaly and multi-element geochemistry
- Midnight Star is untested skarn-hosted target with strong tin-tungsten signature
- Historic drilling at Rising Sun was shallow and inconclusive
- Planned surface sampling and detailed core review to validate targets
- Recent land access and forest permit secured for exploration
Historic Data Revitalises Two Gold-Copper Prospects
Right Resources Limited (ASX:RRE) has breathed new life into its New England Project in New South Wales by elevating two prospects, Rising Sun and Midnight Star, to high-priority gold-copper targets. This upgrade follows an exhaustive review of exploration data collected in the early 1990s by CRA Exploration, integrating electromagnetic (EM) surveys, soil geochemistry, and limited drilling.
The Rising Sun prospect is marked by a coincident EM anomaly and a broad multi-element soil geochemical footprint spanning approximately 600m by 275m. The geochemistry includes gold, arsenic, lead, zinc, and weak copper, interpreted as a distal expression of an intrusion-related gold system (IRGS). Despite two diamond drill holes in 1992, the target remains largely untested at depth, with the anomaly open to the south.
Midnight Star: A Skarn-Hosted Target with Untapped Potential
Located 1.5km north of Rising Sun, Midnight Star presents a contrasting target style. It is a skarn-hosted system with strong tin, tungsten, molybdenum, and bismuth anomalies over an 850m by 400m area, proximal to an interpreted intrusive granite. Notably, Midnight Star has never been drill tested, despite clear geochemical signatures and visual observations of molybdenite and native bismuth in historic samples.
Right Resources plans to undertake a systematic surface sampling program of approximately 285 samples across both targets, employing modern low-level multi-element and gold assays to overcome the limitations of historic detection thresholds. This initiative is bolstered by a recently secured land access arrangement and a Level 1 Forest Permit with the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales, enabling exploration in adjoining State Forest areas.
Strategic Exploration Amid Broader Portfolio Focus
Managing Director Graham Howard emphasised that while the company remains focused on its flagship Reduced Intrusion-Related Gold System near Tumbarumba, the New England review demonstrates a commitment to advancing promising targets across its portfolio. "Midnight Star has sat untested since the early 1990s despite a strong and coherent geochemical signature," Howard noted, highlighting the opportunity to unlock value through cost-effective exploration.
The company is also conducting a detailed structural interpretation using regional magnetic, radiometric, and geological data to guide future drilling decisions. The historic drilling at Rising Sun, comprising two shallow diamond holes, returned no significant mineralisation but showed geological features such as strong silicification and elevated copper and magnetic susceptibility that warrant deeper investigation.
Geological Setting and Regional Context
EL9142 lies within the New England Orogen, a region with a rich history of gold and base metal discoveries. The tenement overlays the prospective Drake Volcanics, host to the Mt Carrington gold-silver complex just south of the project area. Regional radiometric and gravity surveys have identified major fault structures and gravity lows near Rising Sun, suggesting possible intrusive bodies at depth.
Right Resources' approach to revisiting historic data, combined with modern analytical techniques and secured exploration permits, positions the company to potentially advance these targets rapidly. The next phase will involve surface sampling and a detailed review of historic drill core to validate and expand the target footprints, setting the stage for initial drill testing.
Bottom Line?
Right Resources is methodically advancing two promising New England targets, with upcoming surface sampling and structural studies poised to refine drill plans and unlock hidden value.
Questions in the middle?
- Will modern assays confirm the historic geochemical anomalies at Rising Sun and Midnight Star?
- How might the planned structural interpretation influence drill targeting and resource potential?
- Could exploration success at these targets diversify Right Resources’ portfolio beyond Tumbarumba?