Irving Resources (CSE:IRV) has commenced its 2026 drill program at the Omu Gold-Silver Project in Hokkaido, Japan, with four diamond drill rigs testing multiple targets.
The company is deploying its own rig at the Nanko target within the Omui mining licence, testing shallow silica-rich gold-silver mineralisation.
Two rigs are operating within the Honpi mineralised zone as part of Irving’s collaboration with JX Advanced Metals (TYO:5016). Meanwhile, a fourth rig drills extensions of the Omu Sinter deposit.
Recent holes at Nanko have encountered shallow, intensely silicified volcanic rocks, hydrothermal breccias, and veining. Sulphide minerals are evident in unoxidised rocks, with previous drilling five years ago revealing gold and silver values in similar geology.
The program aims to outline the footprint of the Nanko system, with drilling positioned immediately south of the area subject to a JX option.
Two holes are being drilled in the JX/Irving collaboration area at Omui as follow-up to previous shallow drilling, showing hydrothermal breccias and veining.
At Omu Sinter, shallow vertical drilling continues to expand the footprint of the silica sinter deposit. Irving and JX are collaborating to define a shallow gold-silver silica deposit that could become a source of silica flux for Japan’s smelting industry.
“We have long suspected there is extensive shallow, precious-metal-bearing silica at Nanko. While we must wait on assays, the first holes demonstrate this potential,” Technical Adviser and Director Quinton Hennigh says.
In June 2026, Irving announced an intercept of shallow feeder mineralisation grading 0.98 grams per tonne gold (Au) and 68.96g/t silver (Ag) over 47.7m, including 4.05g/t Au and 54.71g/t Ag over 7m.
The company has filed an application to drill deeper holes at Omu Sinter to test the ‘high-grade’ feeder. The deeper regime below about 50m below sea level remains 100% controlled by Irving and is not subject to the JX option.
Permit approval for the deeper drilling is expected within weeks, at which point the Nanko rig will be repositioned to Omu Sinter.
Irving Resources is a Canadian gold explorer whose Japanese portfolio also includes the Yamagano Project in Kyushu and the Noto Peninsula Project in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Irving Resources
