Great Pacific Gold (TSX-V:GPAC) has begun drilling at the Kasie Ridge epithermal gold-copper target within its Wild Dog Project in Papua New Guinea.
A second diamond drill rig has been mobilised to test the largest preserved advanced argillic alteration system identified to date at Wild Dog, marking the first-ever drilling program at Kasie Ridge.
Located 4.5km north of the Sinivit Target, Kasie Ridge forms part of the broader Nengmutka hydrothermal system and features extensive alteration extending 1.5-2km along strike with several hundred metres width.
Vice President of Exploration Callum Spink says the target exhibits compelling technical characteristics.
“The scale of advanced argillic alteration, the presence of high-temperature minerals such as zunyite and diaspore, and the convergence of structural corridors into a coincident magnetic feature all point toward a robust hydrothermal centre,” Spink says.
The initial drillhole, KAS-01, targets the highest-temperature portion of the advanced argillic assemblage to test the intersection of two conductive lineaments and evaluate a moderately conductive upflow zone.
The Kasie Ridge system contains alteration minerals commonly associated with higher-temperature hydrothermal conditions proximal to heat sources, including alunite, pyrophyllite, dickite, kaolinite, diaspore and zunyite.
Modern geophysical datasets have enhanced geological interpretation at the target, with magnetic data defining a coincident feature beneath the ridge and resistivity inversions identifying conductive clay-rich domains.
The company notes that while lithocap systems of this scale can be barren at surface, they may overlie potentially mineralised feeder structures at depth, similar to districts like Lepanto in the Philippines and Wafi-Golpu in Papua New Guinea.
Drilling continues at the broader Wild Dog Project, with a second hole underway at the Kavasuki target using the first rig. The company plans to maintain two rigs operating full-time to accelerate its 2026 exploration program.
Edited by Adam Orlando..
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Images: Great Pacific Gold
