Nova Minerals Ltd (ASX:NVA, NASDAQ:NVA) has opened higher on the ASX on welcoming additional high-grade gold surface sample assay results — of up to 128.5 g/t gold — from Muddy Creek prospect at the Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project in the Tintina Gold Belt in Alaska.
Results include six rock samples grading greater than 10 g/t gold and eight soil samples grading greater than 2 g/t gold — confirming a 400-metre extension to the high-grade gold zone at Muddy Creek.
“Our 2024 field crews added considerable size to the high-grade gold zone identified at Muddy Creek,” Nova head of exploration Hans Hoffman said.
“With the continued discovery of these high-grade gold-bearing quartz-arsenopyrite veins over an 800-metre strike length, Muddy Creek has elevated itself as a viable drill target, and certainly one of the best geochemical anomalies on the claim block.”
Investors have reacted positively to the results with NVA shares trading 11.36% higher in opening ASX trade to A$0.245.
Surface reconnaissance program assays
Nova’s 2024 surface reconnaissance program consisted of 14 rock samples, with a high of 128.5 g/t gold, and 11 soil samples, with a high of 6.3 g/t gold.
Nova explains that the results, as summarised below, continue to show Muddy Creek to be one of the most impressive gold anomalies on the claim block with these results extending the high-grade zone by approximately 400 meters.
The best 2024 surface sampling results at Muddy Creek include:
Four rock samples greater than 20 g/t gold -
- 128.5 g/t gold;
- 93.2 g/t gold;
- 33.9 g/t gold; and
- 22.3 g/t gold.
Five soil samples greater than 3 g/t gold -
- 6.3 g/t gold;
- 4.7 g/t gold;
- 4.0 g/t gold;
- 3.2 g/t gold; and
- 3.0 g/t gold.
Previously announced results from Muddy Creek, from 2023, included six samples greater than 50 g/t gold - 127.5 g/t, 90.5 g/t, 76.8 g/t, 75.5 g/t, 65.6 g/t and 51.8 g/t gold.
The Muddy Creek high-grade zone now measures 800 metres by 400 metres. This is part of a larger mineralised trend of greater than 4 kilometres that includes the Muddy Creek, Discovery, Shadow, Shoeshine and Train prospects.
Muddy Creek gold results.
More results to come
Nova advises that further results are to follow from the 2024 gold, antimony and critical minerals surface sampling program.
This includes the Stibium antimony-gold prospect and further regional exploration from the broader RPM and Stoney areas.
Estelle property map showing the sampling program undertaken in 2024.