Nova Minerals Ltd has unlocked further potential at its Estelle Project in Alaska’s prolific Tintina Gold Belt with gold samples up to 360 g/t at Wombat prospect along with high grades of the critical mineral gallium up to 74.5 parts per million (ppm).
Surface sampling at Wombat in 2024 has revealed exceptionally high-grade gold in quartz veins with seven rock samples returning greater than 2 g/t gold and a high of 360 g/t, the second-highest gold sample found at Estelle to date.
In addition, 10 multi-element samples have graded in excess of 30 ppm gallium, which is another critical mineral for which the US Department of Defense is seeking to secure a domestic supply chain for after China recently banned all exports.
Another prospect at the gold and critical minerals project, Stoney, has also delivered gold, silver, copper and antimony in surface sampling, further enhancing the Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project’s potential.
Growing Estelle potential
Nova’s head of Exploration Hans Hoffman said: “Wombat and Stoney are early-stage prospects in the heart of the Estelle claim block.
"The consistency of vein-hosted mineralization at both of these prospects will warrant drill testing down the road as we continue to unlock the potential of the Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project.”
During the 2024 field season Nova continued surface exploration mapping and sampling program across the Estelle claim block with a particular focus on following up results at prospects identified in the 2023 season.
Prospects confirmed
There were 511 soil samples, 225 rock samples and approximately 5 tonnes of bulk sample material collected across the property.
As a result, a number of prospects have been confirmed:
- Assay results from soil and rock chip samples from the Styx prospect identified high-grade antimony and gold in outcrop, with grades up to 54.1% and 9.8 g/t respectively.
- Assays from soil and rock chip samples from Muddy Creek prospect, with a high of 128.5 g/t gold, have extended the high-grade gold mineralization zone by a further 400 metres to 800 metres in length. Muddy Creek is considered one of the most impressive gold anomalies on the claim block to date.
- Assays for antimony from rock samples collected at Stibium prospect have identified an 800-metre-long by 400-metre-wide antimony-rich zone with results of up to 56.7% and 11 samples grading greater than 30%.
- Assays for gold from rock samples collected at Stibium show the identified zone is rich in gold and antimony, with gold results of up to 141 g/t and seven samples greater than 20 g/t.
- Gold and antimony assays from soil samples collected at Stibium have identified high-grade resource targets within the 800-metre-long by 400-metre-wide zone.
- Assay results for gold and multi-elements including silver, copper, gallium and antimony from samples collected at Wombat and Stoney have now been received.
Final results from the soil and rock chip samples taken from the wider RPM area in 2024 will be reported shortly.
Wombat results
At Wombat, a total of 17 rock samples were collected, seven of which were greater than 2 g/t gold, with exceptional grades of 360 g/t and 93.2 g/t recorded.
A lab discrepancy in a rock sample previously reported as being from RPM in 2023 was actually found to have come from the Wombat prospect and graded 298 g/t when re-analyzed in 2024.
In addition to the high-grade gold results, Wombat also contains 10 of the 15 highest gallium values identified across the Estelle Project. In granitic rocks, concentrations of gallium greater than 30 ppm can be considered high-grade.
Gallium, which has not previously been reported in Estelle exploration results, has been listed as a critical mineral by the USGS, and it is used in electronic circuits, semiconductors, LEDs and radar systems.
The US Department of Defense is also seeking to secure a domestic gallium supply chain since China recently banned all exports of this critical mineral.
Stoney sampling
At Stoney in 2024 one day was spent to attempt to expand the previous geochemical coverage of the vein main vein occurrence.
Accessing the vein directly is difficult due to terrain and ice, however, a 250-metre traverse was conducted where samples of the vein were attainable below the base of outcrop.
Stoney Vein sample G994111 assayed 6.1 g/t gold, 124 ppm silver, 2.4% copper and 340 ppm antimony.
Gold distribution was a bit variable with five samples greater than 1 g/t, however, most samples had additional silver, copper and antimony components.
Sample G994111 had the best cumulative grades with 6.1 g/t gold, 124 ppm silver, 2.4% copper and 340 ppm antimony.