Pantoro Gold Ltd (ASX:PNR, OTC:PNTOF) has delivered further strong drilling results from its Scotia Underground Mine, with new extensional and grade control drilling confirming high-grade mineralisation well below the current Indicated Resource and across multiple lodes.
The company’s latest update highlights significant down-dip extensions — up to 135 metres beneath the existing resource — reinforcing management’s view that Scotia is evolving into a long-life, high-grade underground operation capable of underpinning ore feed at the wider Norseman Gold Project for years to come.
Depth extensions strengthen mine plan
Drilling beneath the southern extent of the known mineralisation has intersected a series of stacked high-grade lodes, supporting the potential for substantial additions to the mine plan. Extensional results include:
- 2 metres at 33.65 g/t gold, including 1.3 metres at 47.21 g/t
- 1.64 metres at 16.24 g/t, including 1 metre at 23.72 g/t
- 1.8 metres at 23.92 g/t, including 1.02 metres at 37.92 g/t
- 0.95 metres at 113.94 g/t
- 0.3 metres at 93.16 g/t
Scotia South and Central orebodies in long-section with recent drill results.
Pantoro has begun planning follow-up drilling to infill these new zones and further define their continuity at depth.
“These latest drilling results reinforce our confidence in the Scotia geological model, with stacked high-grade lodes continuing at depth and along strike,” managing director Paul Cmrlec said. “The continuity of mineralisation well below the current Scotia Mineral Resource supports our view that Scotia is evolving into a long-life, high-grade underground mine that will underpin ore feed at Norseman for many years to come.”
Scotia Long section showing interpreted shallow plunging stacked lode positions.
Grade control success adds near-term tonnes
Pantoro has also reported strong grade control results from the southern and northern parts of the orebody, where drilling continues to refine short- to medium-term planning.
In the southern zone, highlights include:
- 5.65 metres at 11.37 g/t (including 0.59 metres at 74.53 g/t)
- 11.68 metres at 6.38 g/t (including 4 metres at 12.41 g/t)
- 21.45 metres at 3.91 g/t, including multiple higher-grade intervals
On the northern side of the mine — where new development has opened up drill platforms — Pantoro has defined more than 50 metres of strike beyond historic workings, with several intercepts outside the current mine plan. Results include:
- 3.83 metres at 35.75 g/t (including 1 metre at 109.66 g/t)
- 5.3 metres at 8.53 g/t
- 18.8 metres at 3.84 g/t, including higher-grade sub-intervals
The company expects these results to materially enhance upcoming production schedules.
Plan view of Scotia North grade control drilling showing extensions to mineralisation beyond historic mining limits
Scotia and Norseman: a key growth engine
Scotia is a central pillar of Pantoro’s FY26 growth strategy, supported by a $55 million exploration and development budget and a planned 250,000 metres of drilling across the Norseman project.
Underground mining at Scotia began in May 2024 following Pantoro’s successful open-pit campaign, which delivered 93,000 ounces between 2022 and 2024. The current underground Mineral Resource stands at 1.90 million tonnes at 5.32 g/t for 329,000 ounces.
Norseman remains one of Australia’s highest-grade historic goldfields, with more than 5.5 million ounces produced since 1935. Pantoro currently holds Ore Reserves of 859,000 ounces and a broader Mineral Resource of 4.6 million ounces, with many deposits remaining open along strike and at depth.
With drilling continuing across multiple fronts and early indications of significant depth extensions at Scotia, Pantoro says it is well placed to expand underground production as it works towards its longer-term target of more than 200,000 ounces per year.