Aureka (ASX:AKA) has intersected two ‘high-grade’ gold zones 725m north of the existing mineral resource estimate (MRE) at its Irvine Gold Project in Victoria.
Scout drilling at hole RD057 returned 4.25m @ 1.42 grams per tonne gold (Au) from 173m, including 1.5m @ 3.16g/t Au from 173.3m; and 5.65m @ 0.83g/t Au from 341.5m, including 0.85m @ 3.19g/t Au from 343.3m.
Aureka says the mineralisation occurs within a conceptual exploration target previously untested by drilling. It is also supported by favourable geophysical responses and elevated surface geochemical anomalism.
Managing Director James Gurry says the discovery is a ‘breakthrough’ for the team.
“Discovering gold mineralisation this far north of the current JORC resource […] means the Irvine Project is again growing in footprint, just after we announced growth at depth and mineralisation in the gap between the lodes,” Gurry says.
“The growing extent of the Irvine Project solidifies it as one of Victoria’s most significant gold projects.”
The intercepts align with an underlying induced polarisation geophysical response comparable to that beneath the Resolution lode, which hosts a 358,000-ounce gold resource. Aureka notes that a demagnetisation zone similar to that observed beneath Resolution is also present.
Exploration Manager Jozef Story says the mineralisation occurs within a similar basalt and sedimentary geological setting to the Resolution lode MRE.
“The successful intersection of high-grade mineralisation within first-pass scout drilling so distal from the Resolution mineral resource reiterates the importance of utilising all available datasets and applying localised geological understanding to Aureka’s targeting strategy,” Story says.
The company’s Irvine Project now encompasses more than 5.5km of strike length, comprising the Resolution lode (358,000 ounces) and Adventure lode (40,000 ounces) for a total 398,000-ounce inferred JORC resource.
Aureka reports that drilling activities at Irvine remain ongoing, targeting potential up-dip extensions to the Tenacity structure, which returned 10m @ 12.10g/t Au in results reported in October 2025.
The company maintains advanced exploration targets of 85,000–97,000 ounces and conceptual targets of 151,000–348,000 ounces as it works towards growing Irvine’s gold resource beyond 1 million ounces.
Aureka is a mineral explorer focused on gold projects in Victoria.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Main image: Aureka
