Lightning Minerals Ltd (ASX:L1M) will begin its first drilling campaign at the Mt Turner Gold Project in Queensland later this month, targeting extensions beneath historic pits that delivered strong past results. The move comes just weeks after the company completed the acquisition of Lotus Minerals, which secured the Mt Turner ground.
The program will comprise up to 1,300 metres of diamond drilling across five high-priority gold targets, and drilling is set to start around September 15, 2025, with GeoDrill Australia appointed as contractor following a competitive tender.
Indicative drill targeting at the Mt Turner Gold Project – Drummer Deposits (Digital Terrain Model showing existing open pits, previous drill locations and planned drill hole locations).
Lightning Minerals managing director Alex Biggs said the company was eager to unlock Mt Turner’s deeper potential.
“We’re looking forward to starting our first drill campaign at Mt Turner. There are multiple targets which the team has a high degree of confidence in,” Biggs said.
“Combined with other ongoing works at Mt Turner including soil sampling and ground reconnaissance, we are developing multiple drill targets across both gold and copper targets, which sets us up for a busy and exciting period ahead. We know that Mt Turner was mined in multiple locations in the past, targeting high-grade oxide mineralisation. We believe there are multiple opportunities for identification and delineation of gold mineralisation that remain along the Drummer Fault, which extends 14 kilometres. We welcome GeoDrill as our drilling partners and look forward to a safe and productive drill campaign.”
Historic gold potential
Mt Turner has a long history of small-scale mining and shallow drilling, with oxide gold extracted during the 1980s and 1990s from a series of pits along the Drummer Fault system. Previous work intersected high grades, including 16 metres at 3.56 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, 12 metres at 6.5 g/t gold and 3 metres at 5.1 g/t gold with 51 g/t silver. Despite this, exploration below 100 metres has been minimal, leaving significant scope to test for deeper mineralisation.
The upcoming program will target potential continuations of these mineralised zones beneath the Rocky Reward, Drummer Girl, Drummer Boy, Drummer West and Drummer East pits, with holes drilled to depths of up to 150 metres.
Indicative drill targeting at the Mt Turner Gold Project – Rocky Reward Deposit (Digital Terrain Model showing existing open pits, previous drill locations and planned drill hole locations).
Soil sampling to refine targets
Alongside drilling, a soil sampling program is nearing completion over a 12.5-kilometre strike length of the Drummer Hill Fault System. Samples are being collected on 100-metre-spaced fence lines, with individual samples every 20 metres using a handheld auger.
Indicative soil sampling campaign along the Mt Drummer Hill Fault at the Mt Turner Gold Project (Digital Terrain Model showing soil sampling areas across total tenement area of EPM 27525 and EPM 27170).
The work aims to identify coherent linear gold anomalies between known pits, potentially highlighting mineralised continuity along strike. Samples will be sent to ALS Global Laboratory in Townsville, with assays expected within four to six weeks. Results will be used to refine drill targeting for subsequent exploration phases.
Strategic project location
The Mt Turner Project lies 15 kilometres northwest of Georgetown in North Queensland and is covered by two granted exploration permits.
The Drummer Fault structure, which is visible in satellite imagery and extends 14 kilometres east-west, has hosted multiple small oxide pits. Lightning Minerals believes northeast-trending structures intersecting the fault may have contributed to higher-grade mineralisation, presenting further targets.
Historic drilling by CRA Exploration, Union Mining and Essex Minerals intersected several strong lodes, underpinning the decision to revisit the ground. Essex’s 2021 program, for example, returned 7 metres at 1.7 g/t gold and 43 g/t silver, and 7.5 metres at 1.6 g/t gold.
Diversified exploration pipeline
While Mt Turner is a central focus, Lightning maintains a broader portfolio spanning gold, copper and lithium.
In Brazil’s Minas Gerais state, samples from the Esperança lithium project are being analysed at SGS laboratories, with results expected within weeks.
The company also holds lithium projects in Quebec, Canada, and gold and base metal prospects in Western Australia.
The acquisition of Lotus Minerals has strengthened Lightning’s position in both the gold and copper spaces, complementing its exposure to lithium as demand for battery metals grows.