Aureka (ASX:AKA) has intersected ‘high-grade’ gold mineralisation outside its updated JORC mineral resource estimate (MRE) at the Irvine Gold Project in Victoria.
The company reports assays from three areas. At North Resolution, hole RD058 returned 3.92m @ 4.74 grams per tonne gold (Au) from 238.82m, including 0.72m @ 9.18g/t Au from 238.82m and 0.5m @ 16.1g/t Au from 241.64m.
At South Resolution, hole RD054 returned 3.5m @ 2.79g/t Au from 155.1m, including 0.7m @ 8.78g/t Au from 155.1m. A Tenacity-styled structure returned individual values up to 9.44g/t Au, with poor ground conditions causing the hole to terminate in mineralisation.
First mineralisation was also intersected within the 2km gap between the Resolution and Adventure lodes, confirming reef continuity 75m from surface. Hole EH004 returned 2.25m @ 1.34g/t Au from 90.7m, while EH002 returned 0.9m @ 3.84g/t Au from 145.9m.
“Our flagship Irvine Gold Project continues to yield new mineralisation in multiple areas — at depth in the north, closer to surface in the south, and west in the 2km gap between the lodes,” Managing Director James Gurry says.
The North Resolution structure sits below and west of the Resolution lode, along faulted margins between basalt and sediments, analogous to the over 5.3-million-ounce Magdala mine at Stawell, 16km north of Irvine.
Drilling in the 2km gap was conducted below and along strike of the historical Eaglehawk mine, about 800m west of the Resolution-Adventure line. The current JORC mineral resource at Irvine sits on the east flank of the Magdala Basalt, with the west flank demonstrating expansion potential.
“The most recent intercepts demonstrate extensions beyond the current JORC [MRE] and the historically mined Eaglehawk workings,” Exploration Manager Jozef Story says.
The results reaffirm advanced exploration targets for JORC resource growth north and south of the Resolution Lode, ranging from 1.33–2.66 million tonnes at 2.0–2.3g/t Au for 85,000–197,000 ounces.
Aureka’s pro-forma portfolio includes inferred JORC mineral resources totalling about 455,000 ounces at 2.27g/t Au, assuming completion of the Wedderburn gold mine and mill acquisition announced on 7 September 2026.
The Irvine Project has a current JORC mineral resource of 398,000 ounces at 2.59g/t Au.
Aureka is an Australian gold explorer with a portfolio of advanced-stage projects across Victoria, including the St Arnaud and Jubilee gold projects.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Aureka
