Pioneer Minerals (ASX:PMM) has appointed Alaska Midnight Sun Drilling to conduct its maiden reverse circulation drilling at the company’s Springfield Project within the North Pine Project in Idaho, US.
Drilling is expected to cover up to 2,000m of drilling across 35 holes, testing multiple ‘high-priority’ targets generated from historical mine records, geological mapping, rock chip geochemistry, magnetic surveys, and LiDAR structural interpretation.
The drilling campaign is scheduled to begin in Q3 2026 and is subject to operation approval, site preparation, and final operational readiness.
The company submitted a plan of operations to the United States Forest Service for phase one drilling last month, as reported by Mining.com.au.
CEO Michael Beven says securing Midnight Sun as the drilling contractor for this maiden exploration campaign represents “another important milestone” as the company focuses on advancing Springfield.
“Over recent months, we have significantly enhanced our understanding of the project through geochemistry, geophysics, and detailed LiDAR interpretation, and we are now moving toward directly testing these targets,” Beven says.
“Importantly, Springfield continues to evolve as a large-scale multi-commodity system comprising tungsten, gold, and gallium mineralisation.
“The upcoming drilling program represents the first opportunity to test the broader-scale potential of the system beneath historical workings and newly identified structures corridors.
“With road access reopening, EM (electromagnetic) surveys and additional field programs progressing, Pioneer is entering a strong period of operational activity and news flow, and we look forward to commencing drilling in the coming months.”
Pioneer Minerals is a North American critical minerals explorer, advancing a portfolio of tungsten, antimony, uranium, and lithium projects.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Pioneer Minerals
