Kairos Minerals Ltd (ASX:KAI, OTCQB:KAIFF) has fired up the rigs at its flagship Mt York Gold Project in Western Australia, launching a 10,000-metre reverse circulation and diamond drilling program aimed at extending its 1.4-million-ounce resource base.
The campaign follows Kairos’ recently executed Mineral Rights Agreement with Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX:PLS), allowing the company to drill across the adjacent PLS-owned licence (E45/2241), where historic reconnaissance drilling has already returned promising gold intercepts.
Plan view of the western side of Main Trend showing the northwestern part of Main Hill Prospect with drill intercepts and the Main Hill Extension prospect on the PLS licence E45/2241 in the ‘Priority Area’. ‘Monster’ area drill hole 25MYDD031 is shown.
The drilling — at least 60 holes targeting a 1,500-metre strike extension of the mineralised Banded Iron Formation (BIF) from Mt York’s Main Hill deposit — is under way with as many as four rigs planned onsite through November.
Strike Drilling Pty Ltd RC drill rig on pad 25MYRC011.
Kairos exploration manager Mark Falconer said the team was “very excited” to test the extension.
“We have drilled up to the licence boundary at Main Hill and come up with some spectacular drill hits underneath Main Hill, so we can’t wait to pattern-drill the rest of the deposit on the PLS side to see what is there,” Falconer said.
“Very few historic drill holes have been completed in the extension area, and we believe that in some cases, the drill holes did not successfully reach the main target mineralised horizon,” he added. “Our planned drilling provides a genuine opportunity to add fresh resources to the project from this new area that has never had this level of drilling applied to it before.”
A growth-focused program
Kairos is targeting the continuation of the same mineralised structure that underpins the current 1.4-million-ounce resource.
Historic results from PLS drilling include:
- 11 metres at 3.11 g/t gold from 19 metres, including 4 metres at 7.99 g/t gold; and
- 9 metres at 2.66 g/t gold from 81 metres, plus 3 metres at 1.32 g/t gold from 98 metres.
Long-section of the Main Hill Prospect (right) and Main Hill Extension Prospect (left, PLS licence E45/2241) showing historic drill hits. ‘Monster’ drill hits (25MYDD031) area shown on section. Planned Kairos drill holes shown for resource drilling.
The Stage 1 program is designed as a minimum 60-hole grid pattern, drilling fences spaced 80 metres apart, with hole centres typically 50 metres apart. Kairos intends to drill to depths of up to 150 metres, aiming to support a revised mineral resource estimate (MRE).
Updated resource due in Q1 2026
Results from the program will feed into a new Mt York MRE, targeted for release in the first quarter of 2026. Additional drilling may follow to refine the geometry of the mineralised zones and underpin feasibility-level studies.
Next steps in parallel with drilling include:
- routine review and modelling of incoming assay results;
- wireframing of the Main Trend mineralised zones;
- progressing a Mining Agreement with the Nyamal Aboriginal Corporation; and
- advanced metallurgical test work across oxide, transitional and fresh material.
Aims to lift project scale and economics
Kairos sees substantial upside beyond the existing 1.4-million-ounce resource, particularly along the Main Trend extension newly accessible via the PLS agreement.
Scoping work completed earlier suggested Mt York could support a robust open-pit operation processing 4 million tonnes per annum over eight years, with upside from near-surface high-grade shoots and resource growth now being tested.
Assay results from the current program are expected progressively over the coming months.
