Kingston Resources Ltd (ASX:KSN) has discovered two significant new mineralised structures situated east of the existing Southern Ore Zone (SOZ) mineral resource, potentially expanding the company's life of mine inventory at the Mineral Hill copper-gold mine in New South Wales.
The company highlighted standout results from drill hole KSNDDH017, which include a 22.00-metre interval containing 0.53 g/t gold, 20 g/t silver, and 0.47% copper, among other elements, which the company says are truly “transformative”.
Notably, these new zones are outside the current mineral resource, indicating untapped potential for the region.
Moving forward, Kingston will kick off follow-up drilling in the first week of November to test the continuity of this newfound mineralisation.
“Huge result for Kingston”
Kingston managing director Andrew Corbett said: “We are very excited to share this significant near-mine discovery of high-grade polymetallic mineralisation at Mineral Hill.
“This is a huge result for Kingston and we’re excited to see how our geological model evolves with this new information.
“To fully grasp the implications of this discovery, we are embarking on follow-up surface drilling in early November.
“This is a pivotal step in expanding our underground Mineral Resources and enriching our company’s life-of-mine inventory.
“This discovery underscores the high confidence we've always had in uncovering additional mineralisation within our mining lease—a key motivation behind our original acquisition of Mineral Hill almost two years ago.”
KSNDDH017 drill core, tray 79-82, 404.03m to 421.35 metres depth.
Mineralised structures
A new structure was identified in historic drill holes and confirmed in recent drilling.
The structure extends into the footwall of the easternmost lode (A-lode) of the current SOZ resource model.
Interpretation of multiple >1% copper equivalent intercepts in diamond drill holes represents a volume of material that is broadly parallel to the known deposit.
A second high-grade polymetallic mineralised structure was also intersected, representing the discovery of a new zone of mineralisation.
Kingston chief geologist Stuart Hayward said: “The insights derived from KSNDDH017 are truly transformative for our geological team and the broader operations at Kingston.
“This drill hole marks a highly significant milestone, as it not only provides a fresh perspective but also opens up an array of exciting geological possibilities at Mineral Hill.
SOZ geotechnical drill holes (blue) and the southern extension diamond hole.
"Most intriguing aspects"
“One of the most intriguing aspects of this discovery is that it allows us to re-evaluate our deposit scale geological model and test the potential for additional mineralisation at depth.
“Based on the orientation of adjacent mineral resources, the previous drilling has not intersected this structure.
“This success initiated a review of historical drilling above this position closer to the stacked sequence of SOZ lodes, revealing a second mineralised structure that’s not represented in current models.
Next steps
Kingston has engaged a drilling contractor to mobilise to the site and kick off drilling in the first week of November.
A multi-hole surface drilling program is planned to test the geometry and orientation of the mineralisation in KSNDDH017 and shallow dipping portions of SOZ at higher levels.
Underground drilling to infill the existing Inferred portions of the underground resources is on track to commence later this year.
Hayward adds: “We are now prioritising the mobilisation of a surface drill rig to test these structures further, focusing initially on areas close to our existing underground development, where we believe the most promising opportunities for additional mineralisation lie.”