Sierra Nevada Gold (ASX:SNX) has commenced a 25,000m phase two drilling program at its As Safra Copper-Gold Project in Saudi Arabia.
The company will mobilise two diamond drill rigs and one reverse circulation rig by 30 September 2026, with two additional diamond rigs expected by mid-November 2026 to create a five-rig operation.
The program runs through to March 2027, with first assay results expected in November 2026.
The drilling targets three objectives across the 375km2 project. Resource definition drilling allocates 8,000m to the Central Copper Zone, where phase one returned 16m @ 1.49% copper from 160m, including 3m @ 3.62% copper from 161m.
Meanwhile, expansion drilling commits 7,000m to test extensions of known mineralisation. This includes the recently discovered polymetallic breccia system that returned 11m @ 1.15 grams per tonne gold, 108.7g/t silver, 0.21% copper, 4.64% zinc, and 1.88% lead from 49m.
Discovery drilling dedicates 10,000m to new targets across the broader 12km prospective corridor.
CEO Adam Oehlman says the program aims to establish how large the mineral system can become.
“At Central, we will step out from the high-grade intersections to test the extent and continuity of the copper mineralisation,” Oehlman adds.
“At the same time, we will drill targets along more than 12km of prospective trend, much of which remains undrilled.”
The company secured tenure at As Safra on 1 May 2026 and completed its maiden drilling campaign within six months. The program includes 13.5km of trenching and sampling to support the drilling activities.
Sierra Nevada Gold is an Australian explorer advancing a portfolio of gold, silver, and base metals assets in Nevada, US, and Saudi Arabia.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Sierra Nevada Gold
