Lightning Minerals (ASX:L1M) has identified two significant gold target areas within the 5km Western Zone at its Mt Turner Gold Project in northern Queensland.
Interpretation of a recently completed soil geochemistry program has advanced the Western Zone into a priority exploration corridor featuring multiple targets.
Results outline a northern target consisting of a 1km continuous gold anomaly associated with a 1.4km multi-element anomaly, which the company describes as a potential “hydrothermal footprint”.
In the south, four subparallel gold trends extend 200–300m along strike, with peak gold-in-soil values reaching 330 parts per billion gold.
Managing Director Troy Brice says the results represent an important step forward in the systematic evaluation of the broader Mt Turner Project.
“The scale and coherence of the northern target is particularly encouraging,” Brice says.
“These results are supported by highly anomalous rock chip results. Importantly, the gold anomaly and hydrothermal footprint target in the north remain open.
“The Western Zone provides Lightning with another major gold exploration opportunity alongside the 14km-long Drummer Fault target and further strengthens our view of the broader district scale potential at Mt Turner.”
The company collected 551 soil samples in July 2026 on 200m-spaced lines at 20m sample intervals, using a thermal vector ratio to assist in identifying a higher-temperature core of the hydrothermal system.
Meanwhile, rock chip samples collected during the 2026 program include 1.19 grams per tonne gold (Au) and 38.80g/t silver (Ag) from a mineralised rhyolite breccia. Historical rock chip sampling returned individual values up to 15.35g/t Au, 198g/t Ag, and 22% copper.
Lightning is considering a staged follow-up program comprising approximately 100 additional soil samples and five trenches to bedrock across the northern gold trend, with sampling and trenching planned at approximately 200m spacing.
The company also intends to undertake systematic rock chip sampling along the southern gold trends and exposed mineralised rhyolite dykes, with priority southern anomalies progressing toward trenching if surface sampling confirms continuity and tenor.
It also plans to integrate the Western Zone results with geological mapping, LiDAR (light detection and ranging) surveying, historical datasets, and the broader Mt Turner structural model.
Lightning Minerals is an Australian explorer and developer focused on advancing gold and copper assets in tier-one mining jurisdictions.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Images: Lightning Minerals
