Australian Gold and Copper has reported repeated broad zinc-gold-lead intersections at northern Evergreen, including a peak interval of 26.4% zinc. A 21-hole, 2,593-metre RC program has also finished testing extensions to the prospect’s recent high-grade gold-silver discovery, with assays due from late October to early November.
- Broad zinc-gold mineralisation repeated across seven northern Evergreen diamond holes
- 26.4% zinc peak interval within 14 metres at 5.6% zinc and 1.8% lead
- 21 RC holes completed across 2,593 metres around the high-grade western zone
- RC assays expected from late October to early November
- Drill rig moves to Achilles for regional and resource-definition work
Northern Evergreen shows repeated zinc-gold continuity
Australian Gold and Copper Ltd (ASX:AGC) has added weight to the exploration case at Evergreen, reporting a series of broad zinc-gold-lead intersections that the company says define a coherent polymetallic system rather than isolated hits. The latest diamond drilling includes 14 metres at 0.5 grams per tonne gold, 5.6% zinc and 1.8% lead from 195 metres in hole 26DDBR011, followed closely by 17 metres at 0.3g/t gold, 3.7% zinc and 1.5% lead from 214 metres.
The standout internal interval in 26DDBR011 ran 1 metre at 26.4% zinc and 3.9% lead. Other results included 15 metres at 0.4g/t gold, 3.0% zinc and 2.6% lead in 26DDBR016, 7 metres at 0.5g/t gold, 3.9% zinc and 1.8% lead in 26DDBR012, and 5 metres at 0.2g/t gold, 4.1% zinc and 1.8% lead in 26DDBR014.
Gold and silver add value to the base-metal package
Zinc is the dominant metal across much of the northern zone, but gold appears consistently through the broader intervals, generally at around 0.3g/t to 0.5g/t and reaching higher grades in narrower sections. Hole 26DDBR015 returned 5.9 metres at 0.4g/t gold, 4g/t silver, 2.1% zinc and 1.6% lead from 128 metres, including 2 metres at 0.9g/t gold.
The results sit alongside the previously reported 26DDBR017 discovery, which delivered 17 metres at 5.3g/t gold, 163g/t silver, 0.8% copper and 17.3% combined lead and zinc from 128 metres. Its higher-grade core ran 8 metres at 10.4g/t gold, 311g/t silver, 1.2% copper and 29% combined lead and zinc. That result remains an exploration intersection, not a resource estimate, but it gives AGC a markedly higher-grade target within the broader northern Evergreen corridor.
RC follow-up puts the high-grade zone to the test
AGC has now completed 21 reverse-circulation holes for 2,593 metres, targeting up-dip and along-strike extensions of 26DDBR017. The holes reached depths of about 160 metres and included a scissor hole intended to help interpret the mineralisation’s geometry. Samples have reached the laboratory, but the results are still pending.
The timing of those assays is likely to matter more than another isolated diamond intercept. They should provide the first substantial test of whether the exceptional gold-silver-base-metal grades in 26DDBR017 extend through the surrounding zone, and whether that higher-grade mineralisation can be related convincingly to the wider zinc-gold system.
Copper potential remains unquantified
Copper is also recurring through Evergreen, although the latest northern results are principally zinc and lead driven. AGC points to 35 metres at 0.5% copper in 26DDBR006, including 6 metres at 2.0% copper and 4 metres at 2.5%, as well as 10 metres at 0.7% copper in 26DDBR010. In the current release, 26DDBR010 returned 10 metres at 0.7% copper alongside silver, zinc and lead at depth.
The company says further drilling will test whether the stronger copper intersections form continuous zones or shoots. That remains an open geological question: the reported widths are downhole measurements, and true widths and the eventual continuity of the mineralised zones have not yet been established.
Achilles becomes the next drilling focus
With the Evergreen RC program complete, the drill rig has moved to Achilles to test a regional target, extend the shallow oxide zone towards surface and infill gaps in the existing resource. AGC’s December 2025 Achilles estimate comprises 10.3 million tonnes at 116g/t silver equivalent, containing 38.5 million ounces of silver equivalent across indicated and inferred categories.
For Evergreen, the next concrete catalyst is the RC assay batch expected in late October to early November, alongside further diamond results and permitting for additional drill sites. Until those data arrive, the project has a growing geological footprint and several attractive metal intersections, but no Evergreen resource, economic study or confirmed true-width model.
Bottom Line?
Evergreen’s geological scale is becoming clearer, but the investment case still turns on whether RC assays can extend the exceptional grades from 26DDBR017 beyond a single discovery hole.
Questions in the middle?
- Do the 21 RC holes confirm continuity of the high-grade gold-silver zone around 26DDBR017?
- What are the true widths and geometry of the broad northern zinc-gold intersections?
- Can copper-rich sections form a continuous, economically meaningful component of Evergreen?