Gateway Mining has made a groundbreaking discovery at its Yandal gold project, located 85 kilometers northeast of Wiluna in Western Australia. The company's first reverse circulation (RC) drilling at the Cowza prospect uncovered a 41-meter interval of high-grade primary gold mineralization, grading at 2.0 grams per tonne (g/t) gold. This includes a rich 9-meter segment that assays at a remarkable 7.5 g/t gold, from a depth of 105 meters. The find is considered a major breakthrough, validating Gateway's exploration model and highlighting the potential of the region. The discovery was made at the Cowza prospect, which is part of the broader Yandal gold project. The initial RC drilling was conducted at a site 5 kilometers west of the Horse Well camp, situated on the Celia Shear, a significant geological feature. Previous systematic scout aircore drilling had identified a 4.5-kilometer-long stretch of continuous gold mineralization in the shallower oxide zone. However, this was the first time deep drilling into the underlying fresh rock had been attempted, revealing substantial gold content. A notable aspect of the discovery is the direct alignment of the current drill hole with a prior aircore intercept that returned 16 meters of gold grading at 1.3 g/t, including an 8-meter section at 1.9 g/t. This suggests a clear exploration template, indicating that similar aircore results along the 4.5-kilometer north-south trending structure may hold significant value once tested. Gateway's CEO, Richard Pugh, emphasized that the result aligns with the company's expectations for the large-scale gold system, serving as a strong validation of their targeting approach. In addition to the Cowza discovery, a second RC hole drilled 2 kilometers north of the main hit yielded a 52-meter anomalous zone grading at 0.3 g/t gold from 44 meters. This outcome reinforces the fertility of the fresh rock system and indicates that the mineralized zone extends at least another 2 kilometers to the north. Gateway is currently planning follow-up drilling to test the main structure a short distance west of the original hole, aiming to verify if the target can be successfully hit again. The Cowza discovery is part of a larger gold corridor that includes the 1.5-kilometer-long Celia South prospect, located 4.5 kilometers north of Cowza, and the recently drilled 7-kilometer-long Ward trend, positioned 6 kilometers south. These prospects collectively form a known mineralized strike exceeding 13 kilometers along the same geological contact. If the 6-kilometer gap between the Ward trend and Cowza proves productive in future drilling, the total mineralized strike could extend to over 19 kilometers. The structural foundation of this alignment is the Celia Shear, also known as the Celia Lineament, a major, deeply penetrating structure within the Eastern Goldfields super-terrane of the Archean Yilgarn Craton. Deep seismic reflection profiling has confirmed that the Celia Fault traverses the upper and middle Archean crust, acting as a crucial conduit linking the upper mantle to the upper crust. This geological framework supports the potential for extensive gold mineralization across the region. Meanwhile, Moonlight Resources is advancing its efforts at the Leo Grande gold prospect in central Queensland. The company has transitioned from reverse-circulation (RC) drilling to targeted diamond drilling, focusing on gathering detailed geological data. This phase follows successful RC campaigns that extended the known mineralization beyond 1 kilometer, with highlights such as 19 meters of gold grading at 1.95 g/t from 99 meters and 40 meters at 1.31 g/t from 76 meters, including a 5-meter section at 3.40 g/t. Moonlight's geological interpretation of Leo Grande identifies it as a shear-hosted gold system formed through strongly deformed rocks, creating pathways and traps for mineralizing fluids. The presence of quartz veining, silicification, pyrite, and chlorite alteration further supports the association of gold with these features. The company believes the defined 1-kilometer plus mineralized footprint lies within a structural corridor extending nearly 4 kilometers and spanning approximately 60 meters. With multiple drill holes ending in mineralization, management asserts that Leo Grande remains open both along strike and at depth. Moonlight has engaged United Drilling Services to retrieve oriented diamond core, providing geologists with critical insights into the structures governing gold distribution and enhancing their understanding of the system's geometry and orientation. The fresh-rock core will also be used for metallurgical testwork to evaluate how the mineralization responds to processing. Leo Grande is part of the 268-square-kilometer Clermont gold project, located 15 kilometers west of the Queensland town of the same name in the Drummond Basin. This area is recognized for its historical production and endowment of over 6.5 million ounces of gold, alongside favorable infrastructure and established drilling access. While Leo Grande is the company's primary focus for resource definition, the Clermont project also encompasses other prospects such as Goldfinger, Petersens, and Peak Downs, where recent drilling has confirmed copper mineralization.
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