WA Gold (ASX:WAU) reports assay results from phase one drilling at the Abercromby Gold Project confirm continuity of the eastern lode over 500m of strike.
The company completed seven diamond drill holes during the first phase of its 2026 resource development drilling program, with all holes intersecting the targeted eastern lode at or close to predicted positions.
Significant intercepts include 9m @ 3.07 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) including 2.91m @ 5.25g/t Au within 31m @ 1.16g/t Au; and 9.41m @ 2.89g/t Au including 0.38m @ 35.21g/t Au.
WA Gold notes the weighted average grade of the seven eastern lode intercepts of 2.61g/t Au correlates with the current underground mineral resource estimate grade of the 518,000oz gold resource.
CEO Ben Pollard says the 100% success rate in intersecting the eastern gold lode increases confidence in the geological model underpinning the company’s Scoping Study.
“These results represent another important milestone in advancing Abercromby toward development,” Pollard says.
“[The 100% success rate] … will add ounces, at similar grades to the lode we’re targeting for initial exploitation via underground mining.”
Drilling intersected alteration zones up to 231m thick, indicating a potentially larger gold system at the Abercromby Project.
Hole 26ABDD001 returned 231m @ 0.25g/t Au from 160m, with higher-grade intervals including 4m @ 1.70g/t Au from 160m and 2.3m @ 3.15g/t Au from 254m. The intercept of 5m @ 1.47g/t Au from 371m extends the discrete higher-grade eastern lode mineralisation by approximately 100m along strike to the south.
Meanwhile, hole 26ABDD003 returned 9m @ 3.07g/t Au from 361m, including 2.91m @ 5.25g/t Au, within a larger mineralised interval of 31m @ 1.16g/t Au from 344m. It also intersected a footwall lode returning 7m @ 0.74g/t Au from 389m, demonstrating potential for additional mineralised lodes outside the current resource model.
“The thick lower grade alteration zone intersected hints at more than one economically significant mineralisation regime at Abercromby and prompts us to re-evaluate our thinking on deposit architecture, with a view to scale,” Pollard says.
WA Gold intends to resume diamond drilling this quarter with approximately 6,000m of additional resource development and step-out drilling planned.
The company also plans to complete four to five dedicated geotechnical drill holes to support open pit design and estimation of a maiden ore reserve.
The recently completed Scoping Study demonstrated a pathway toward development through an initial stage one production target of approximately 114,000oz of gold, supported by low initial capital of approximately $8 million and forecast pre-tax cash flows of approximately $270 million.
Subject to regulatory approvals and funding, WA Gold is targeting a financial investment decision during 2027.
The Abercromby Project is situated on granted mining leases in the Wiluna-Agnew region of Western Australia, where the company has executed a memorandum of understanding with Wiluna Mining to assess a potential processing arrangement at the Matilda carbon-in-leach plant.
WA Gold is an Australian mineral explorer and developer focused on advancing its portfolio of gold assets in WA.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Images: Mining.com.au
