Krakatoa Resources Ltd (ASX:KTA) is ramping up exploration at its Zopkhito Gold and Antimony Project in Georgia, Eastern Europe, with underground core sampling set to begin this week and dual-rig diamond drilling progressing toward a maiden JORC resource estimate.
The company says the 7,000–10,000 metre diamond drilling campaign and adit sampling program are rapidly advancing, aimed at confirming and expanding historical high-grade results within the project’s stibnite-rich quartz vein systems.
Underground sampling and drilling progress
Core sampling will commence across accessible underground adits to collect JORC-compliant samples from antimony veins and associated gold-rich alteration zones. The work targets validation of historical assays, including results up to 47.9% antimony and 3.23 g/t gold, and will enhance geological understanding of grade distribution within the broader mineralised system.
Exposed antimony rich vein within adit 80 were 2014 channel sample #2010_V-6_A80_2014 which returned 22.6% Sb and 3.23g/t Au from the 70cm channel.
Two diamond drill rigs are operating concurrently on a 24-hour basis, testing high-priority zones between historical adits where Soviet-era exploration identified strong gold and antimony mineralisation. The campaign is designed to validate and extend a historical foreign resource estimate of 225,000 tonnes at 11.6% antimony and 7.1 million tonnes at 3.7 g/t gold — equivalent to 26,000 tonnes of contained antimony and 815,000 ounces of gold.
Krakatoa geological team inspecting the adit and channel sample cuts.
Krakatoa said the first six holes have already been logged, with initial core samples shipped to an assay laboratory in Turkey and results expected in late Q4 2025.
Strategic significance for European supply chains
Zopkhito’s dual-commodity potential aligns closely with Europe’s drive to secure domestic supply of critical minerals. Antimony is listed as a critical material by both the EU and the United States due to its role in energy storage, advanced materials and defence technologies — yet about 90% of global supply remains controlled by China.
With its location in Georgia’s well-established mining corridor and proximity to EU markets, Krakatoa says Zopkhito offers rare exposure to a European-based source of antimony alongside substantial gold mineralisation. The project also benefits from Georgia’s mining framework and free-trade access to key Western markets.
Building toward a maiden JORC resource
The company is integrating historical Soviet-era and 2014 data with new geological mapping, drilling, and 3D modelling to underpin its maiden JORC-compliant Mineral Resource. Current program objectives include confirming historical results, expanding drilling coverage across multiple vein systems and defining the geometry of the mineralised corridor for future growth.
“The confirmation of extensive stibnite vein systems at Zopkhito through underground mapping is exciting for the company and its shareholders,” said Krakatoa chief executive officer Mark Major. “The underground core sampling program is designed to validate historical data and provide a strong technical foundation to advance the project with confidence.”
He added that Zopkhito’s combined gold and antimony endowment positions the project as a “uniquely valuable and strategically significant asset” within Europe’s emerging critical minerals supply chain.