Krakatoa Resources (ASX:KTA) has reported progress across multiple work streams at its Zopkhito Antimony-Gold Project in Georgia as the company advances towards a maiden JORC mineral resource estimate.
The company has completed more than 1,000m of diamond and underground core sampling this year. Surface drilling is now targeting the western zone of the mineralised system. Meanwhile, underground activities will focus on the central area, collecting geological data and samples for analysis.
To date, Krakatoa has completed 11 surface holes and 27 underground holes. Surface drilling has moved from the east zone to the west zone to complete at least eight holes, targeting a series of four to six stacked near-vertical veins.
“Our exploration and technical programs are progressing well on all aspects, with underground and surface drilling continuing as planned, and first assay results expected shortly,” CEO Mark Major says.
“Surface drilling has now moved to the western zone, where we are targeting several previously undrilled veins, while underground work in the central zone is generating additional geological data and samples for analysis.”
The current west zone drilling program is targeting up to six new veins from the 17 known veins used in the foreign resource estimate. Previous drilling focused on the east zone.
Underground drilling has moved into the central zone adits, with plans to collect metallurgical samples from adit faces that have been cleaned in allocated areas.
Samples will include the main antimony vein and the gold-rich alteration halo within the footwall and hanging wall, and will be submitted for ore sorting and metallurgical test work in Europe.
Assays from the first batch are expected mid-September, with the second batch at the laboratory, and the third batch recently dispatched. Metallurgical bulk sampling preparation is complete, with the company collecting samples within weeks.
Project scale and development pathway taking shape
While drilling and sampling programs continue to advance, the company’s broader development pathway is also taking shape, underpinned by a significant foreign resource estimate and a clear acquisition framework.
The company holds an exclusive option to acquire up to 80% of the Zopkhito Project and is working to complete the acquisition of its initial 10% interest. The project covers 1,779 hectares under a mining licence valid until March 2042.
Zopkhito hosts a foreign resource estimate of 225,000 tonnes @ 11.6% antimony for 26,000 tonnes of contained antimony and 7.1 million tonnes @ 3.7 grams per tonne for 815,119 ounces of gold. The project benefits from extensive historical exploration, including underground adits and more than 15,000 historical geochemical samples.
Environmental baseline studies and permitting activities continue concurrently. Krakatoa is undertaking reproduction verification sampling within the adits to support historical exploration datasets.
“These work programs are improving our geological understanding of Zopkhito and providing the technical foundation required as we progress towards defining a maiden JORC-compliant mineral resource,” Major says.
The company expects a steady pipeline of operational updates and technical milestones throughout the remainder of 2026, with multiple workstreams advancing, assays pending, and metallurgical programs and technical studies progressing.
Krakatoa Resources is an Australian explorer advancing a diversified portfolio spanning antimony-gold in Georgia and rare earths, gold, and base metals across Western Australia and New South Wales.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Krakatoa Resources
