Waratah Minerals Confirms District-Scale 6km Gold Corridor with Strong Alpine Zone Intercepts

Alpine Zone Drilling Reveals High-Grade Gold Near Surface

Waratah Minerals (ASX:WTM) has delivered compelling evidence of shallow, high-grade gold mineralisation at its Alpine Gold Zone within the Spur Project, New South Wales. The latest reverse circulation (RC) drilling results include standout intercepts such as 7m at 1.40 g/t Au from just 13m depth, featuring a 1m section grading 9.34 g/t Au, and an impressive 20m at 1.82 g/t Au from 53m, which contains multiple higher-grade intervals including 1m at 26.63 g/t Au. These findings underscore Alpine's capacity to host near-surface high-grade mineralisation, a critical factor for economic viability.

Confirming a Continuous 6km Mineralised Gold Corridor

The drilling results reinforce Waratah’s emerging district-scale exploration model that links four key zones, Alpine, Gazzards, Spur, and Consols, into a continuous 6-kilometre gold mineralised corridor. This corridor traces the margin of the Cargo Intrusive Complex, a geological feature considered highly prospective for epithermal-porphyry gold-copper systems. Waratah’s Managing Director, Peter Duerden, emphasised that consistent geology, alteration, and mineralisation across these zones validate the company’s thesis and highlight the potential for further extensions both along strike and at depth.

Waratah’s extensive 80,000m drilling campaign has rapidly tested multiple targets, with Alpine’s maiden RC program now complete. The company plans to commence a systematic diamond drilling program in Q4 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, aiming to better define the geometry and grade continuity of the mineralisation.

Technical Highlights and Exploration Strategy

Among the significant intercepts, hole ARC024 ended in high-grade mineralisation with 1m at 5.63 g/t Au at 119m depth and remains open downhole, prompting plans for a diamond tail extension. Other holes such as ARC021 intercepted broad zones of gold mineralisation including 29m at 0.54 g/t Au from 40m, featuring multiple intervals above 1 g/t Au. The mineralisation is generally subvertical, with downhole intercepts likely representing over 80% of true thickness.

The drilling utilized photon assay techniques, which provide a more robust quantification of gold, especially in samples with coarse gold, enhancing confidence in the reported grades. Waratah’s rigorous sampling and QAQC protocols align with industry best practices, ensuring data reliability.

District Consolidation and Next Steps

Waratah’s Spur Project is strategically positioned in Australia’s premier gold-copper porphyry district. Recent acquisitions, including the Goldenclad Mining Leases and the Ironclad Mining Lease, complement the existing tenure and strengthen the district-scale potential. The company’s $48 million capital raise earlier this year underpins its aggressive exploration strategy, which now focuses on converting these promising drilling results into a defined mineral resource.

Pending regulatory approvals, the upcoming diamond drilling program will test strike and depth extensions at Alpine, Gazzards, and the corridor between Alpine and Goldenclad, aiming to identify higher-grade zones and expand the mineralised footprint. These efforts align with Waratah’s ambition to unlock the full potential of the Cargo Intrusive Complex.