Lightning Minerals Ltd (ASX:L1M) has wrapped up its inaugural drilling campaign at the Mt Turner Gold Project in North Queensland, with final assays confirming what the company describes as a large, continuous gold system now mapped across 12 kilometres of strike along the Drummer Fault.
Eight of the nine diamond holes drilled intersected gold and base-metal mineralisation, supported by new soil and rock-chip sampling that has extended the known footprint both west of Rocky Reward and around multiple existing pits.
Managing director Alex Biggs said the first-pass program had exceeded expectations.
“We have intersected gold and base metals across multiple targets in drilling and significant soil and rock chip results, which provide the company with additional targets for phase two of exploration at Mt Turner,” Biggs said.
“The Pit 6 (Rocky Reward) results demonstrate the potential width of mineralisation, intersected in two holes drilled approximately 80 metres apart, along strike,” he added. “We look forward to further testing the gold potential below current drilling at Rocky Reward plus the targets we have identified at Pit 3 (Drummer West) and Pit 5 (Drummer Girl).”
Cross-section of Hole 25L1MP6DD001 (Pit 6 – Rocky Reward).
Pit 6 delivers wide zones over 80 metres of strike
The final results from Pit 6 — about 6 kilometres west of earlier drilling — strengthen the company’s interpretation of a large-scale orogenic system with epithermal overprints.
Plan view of Holes 25L1MP6DD001 and 25L1MP6DD002 (Pit 6 – Rocky Reward).
Key intervals include:
Hole 25L1MP6DD001:
- 2.8 metres at 1.2 g/t gold and 2.8 g/t silver from 65 metres, including 0.9 metres at 3.4 g/t gold; and
- 24.8 metres at 0.3 g/t gold and 2.1 g/t silver from 75 metres.
Hole 25L1MP6DD002:
- 34 metres at 0.4 g/t gold and 1.4 g/t silver from 78 metres; and
- 0.94 metres at 0.8 g/t gold and 14 g/t silver from 150.9 metres.
The holes, spaced 80 metres along strike, intersected altered dolerite, multiple quartz–sulphide vein styles and a quartz–feldspar porphyry intrusion, which the company believes may represent a deeper fluid source.
Cross-section of Hole 25L1MP6DD002 (Pit 6 – Rocky Reward).
High-grade hits continue at Pit 3 and Pit 5
Earlier results from Pit 3 (Drummer West) and Pit 5 (Drummer Girl) also returned standout gold intersections, reinforcing continuity along the central portion of the Drummer Fault. Highlights include:
- Pit 3 – 25L1MP3DD001: 20.4 metres at 2.4 g/t gold and 14.3 g/t silver from 62 metres, including 1.8 metres at 10.6 g/t gold.
- Pit 5 – 25L1MP5DD001: 8 metres at 1.4 g/t gold and 4.8 g/t silver from 77.8 metres.
- Pit 5 – 25L1MP5DD002: 3.9 metres at 3.6 g/t gold from 90 metres, including 1 metre at 10.7 g/t gold.
- Pit 5 – 25L1MP5DD003: 3 metres at 2.8 g/t gold and 7.5 g/t silver from 105 metres, including 1 metre at 6.3 g/t gold.
At the separate Cobar prospect, drilling intersected near-surface zinc-lead-silver mineralisation up to 19.7% Zn, 8.4% Pb and 150 g/t Ag.
Mt Turner Porphyry System Zoning Thesis.
Soil and rock-chip sampling extends mineralisation 2.7 km west
Extensive soil and rock-chip sampling has broadened the exploration corridor well beyond the existing pits.
Key outcomes include:
- A newly defined western target about 2.7 kilometres west of Pit 6, where rock chips returned 21.9 g/t gold, 3.2 g/t and 3.5 g/t gold across 385 metres.
- Anomalous samples northeast and southeast of Pit 5 — up to 5.7 g/t and 5.3 g/t gold respectively — indicating potential mineralisation beyond the Drummer Fault.
- Additional anomalies east of Pit 1 extending nearly 2.5 km, with rock-chip grades up to 5.6 g/t gold and elevated silver, copper, lead and zinc.
Plan view of Mt Turner Project demonstrating all soil and rock sample geochemistry, including the phase 1 drill hole program.
Next steps
With all assays now received, Lightning plans a follow-up drill program targeting depth extensions, strike continuity and newly defined satellite zones. Additional multi-element analysis and vectoring work will refine target ranking ahead of the next phase.
Biggs said the company was “well positioned to take advantage of the current buoyant precious metal and base metal markets”, adding that the extensive first-pass results “give us even greater confidence in the future potential of the project”.
Isometric view of Mt Turner Project demonstrating Drummer Fault and drilling areas including current drill hole status.