Astral uncovers record gold grade in Theia’s expanding deep system
Astral Resources has returned its highest-ever gold assay at the Theia deposit, including 0.34 metres at 1,146.3g/t within a broader 31-metre zone grading 13.5g/t. Further drilling and pending assays could determine whether the deep mineralisation supports an expanded resource estimate.
- Record 1,146.3g/t gold assay at Theia
- 31m at 13.5g/t in AMRCD468A
- 40m at 3.30g/t and 111m at 1.12g/t in AMRCD515
- Theia Deeps program expanded to 25 holes and 13,400m
- Further assays and a resource update remain pending
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Record assay highlights Theia’s deep gold system
Astral Resources NL (ASX:AAR) has struck the highest gold assay yet recorded at its Theia deposit in Western Australia, returning 0.34 metres at 1,146.3g/t gold in diamond hole AMRCD468A. The result sits inside a much broader 31-metre intersection grading 13.5g/t from 288 metres, giving the latest Theia Deeps results a striking combination of narrow bonanza-grade mineralisation and substantial surrounding widths.
The company also reported 40 metres at 3.30g/t from 332 metres in AMRCD515, including 0.3 metres at 317.0g/t, followed by 15 metres at 1.31g/t. Deeper in the same hole, a 111-metre interval grading 1.12g/t from 424 metres extends below the base of the April 2026 mineral resource estimate open-pit shell.
Three holes add width and depth to Theia
The results come from three diamond holes totalling 1,796.5 metres at the 100%-owned Mandilla Gold Project, about 70 kilometres south of Kalgoorlie. Theia is Astral’s cornerstone deposit within Mandilla, which the company’s April 2026 estimate put at 1.74 million ounces of contained gold across 53.5 million tonnes at 1.0g/t.
AMRCD514 produced a more dispersed set of intersections, including 13 metres at 1.41g/t, two metres at 16.5g/t, two metres at 16.2g/t and 38 metres at 0.84g/t. Astral said the hole encountered mineralisation both around the base of the existing pit shell and deeper, while AMRCD515 was drilled as an infill hole on a section where earlier holes had already returned broad mineralised zones.
The latest results build on the October Theia drilling results, which included deep intersections below the current resource shell and an extension of mineralisation to the south. Astral says the current results further demonstrate the potential for resource growth at depth, but no new resource or reserve has been declared in this announcement.
Infill drilling now takes priority
Astral has expanded the Theia Deeps program to 25 holes for 13,400 metres, with six holes remaining. The focus has shifted from broad exploration to infill drilling within the main gold-mineralised ore shoot, targeting a 60-metre by 60-metre spacing that the company says is designed to support the potential classification of mineralisation at depth as Inferred Mineral Resources.
Assays are still pending for AMRCD516 and AMRCD575, while AMRCD615 is being drilled. Astral highlighted quartz veining and logged visible gold in AMRCD575, but cautioned that visual observations are not a substitute for laboratory assays. The reported intersections are also downhole lengths; true widths have not been provided.
Drilling schedule points to 2027 catalysts
Theia’s deep drilling is expected to resume in January 2027 and finish in the March quarter, while infill RC drilling at the Stage 1 open pit is scheduled to finish in the December quarter. The diamond rig is due to move to Kamperman at Feysville in early December for three exploration holes and three geotechnical holes before returning to Theia.
Astral has delayed its planned 55-hole, 10,000-metre RC campaign at the Spiders deposit in Spargoville until the January quarter to complete Theia’s infill work. The immediate test for the gold story is therefore not the isolated 1,146.3g/t assay, impressive though it is, but whether the pending holes and tighter drilling establish sufficient continuity for the next Theia mineral resource estimate.
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Bottom Line?
The record assay sharpens the exploration case beneath Theia, but resource growth still depends on continuity, pending assays and successful classification of the deeper mineralisation.
Questions in the middle?
- Will AMRCD575 and the remaining deep holes confirm continuity around the strongest Theia intersections?
- How much of the mineralisation below the current pit shell can be converted into Inferred Mineral Resources?
- Could the updated Theia resource alter the mine plan or assumptions in Astral’s Mandilla definitive feasibility study?
Sources
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Theia Deeps Drilling Delivers Highest Ever Assay Grade (opens in a new tab)Verified company source. Astral Resources NL · 10 Nov 2026 · astralresources.com.au
