Krakatoa Resources (ASX:KTA) has reported it is two months ahead of last year’s schedule at the Zopkhito Antimony-Gold Project in Georgia, with 17 holes completed as part of a resource definition program targeting a maiden JORC mineral resource.
Four surface diamond drill holes and 13 underground holes have been completed. Surface drilling is running on a 24-hour, two-shift roster, with underground continuous operations expected to begin next month.
The first batch of assays is being transported to laboratories in Türkiye. Independent mining and resource consultants from the UK completed site inspections over the past week, reviewing drill core, historical datasets, and underground workings.
CEO Mark Major says the program is progressing as planned.
“The initial holes have been completed, logged, sampled, and are now in the process of being transported to the laboratory in Türkiye for analysis,” Major says.
“Simultaneously, we are preparing for metallurgical studies to commence in the coming weeks.”
The current program is testing five veins from 17 known targets, validating historical results and expanding drilling coverage to define quartz-stibnite vein systems and associated gold zones.
The work is designed to convert the existing foreign resource estimate into a JORC-compliant mineral resource.
Zopkhito hosts a foreign resource estimate of 225,000 tonnes at 11.6% antimony for 26,000 contained tonnes, plus 7.1 million tonnes @ 3.7 grams per tonne gold for 815,119 ounces. The project covers 1,779 hectares under a mining licence valid until March 2042.
Metallurgical bulk sampling is set to begin shortly. Samples collected from underground adits will combine the main antimony vein and gold-rich alteration zones from selected veins, then undergo ore sorting and metallurgical test work in Europe.
Environmental baseline studies and permitting activities continue in parallel. Krakatoa holds an exclusive option to acquire up to an 80% interest in the project.
Krakatoa Resources is a Perth-based explorer advancing the Zopkhito Antimony-Gold Project in Georgia, alongside a portfolio of critical minerals and precious metals projects across Australia.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Krakatoa Resources
