Kairos Minerals Ltd (ASX:KAI, OTCQB:KAIFF, FRA:YAJ) has expanded its footprint around the Mt York Gold Project in Western Australia’s Pilbara after signing a binding agreement to acquire Trek Metals Ltd’s adjoining Pincunah Project, strengthening its control over a highly prospective gold corridor.
The acquisition adds more than 160 square kilometres of tenure immediately south-east of Kairos’ 1.4-million-ounce Mt York resource and captures the southern extension of the banded iron formation (BIF) that hosts the project’s gold mineralisation. Kairos plans to prioritise drill testing at the newly acquired Carlindi Prospect in the first half of 2026, targeting near-surface gold that could be added to the Mt York resource base.
Historic drill hits at the Carlindi Prospect on E45/4909 along-strike of the Mt York Gold Project overlain on a black and white magnetic image showing the relationship of gold to magnetic highs (light areas).
Consolidating control around Mt York
Under the agreement, Kairos will acquire 100% of four granted exploration licences and one pending application that make up the Pincunah Project, tying up ground along strike from Mt York’s Main Trend.
Acquired licences (red) and applications (green) over the Mt York area. The dark blue licences are Kairos exploration licences and the light blue polygons cover the areas where Kairos owns all mineral rights including gold (except lithium and tantalum). The background image is interpreted geology.
Managing director Dr Peter Turner said the acquisition added “walk-up drill targets” with encouraging historic results and further strengthened Kairos’ land position around Mt York, which is shaping up as a major gold development project.
Kairos completed its largest-ever extensional drilling campaign at Mt York in 2025 and is preparing to deliver an updated Mineral Resource Estimate later this quarter, which will include a 1.5-kilometre northern extension of the Main Hill deposit.
The company ended the December quarter with a cash balance of $30.4 million and expects a further $10 million from Pilbara Minerals in the current quarter, leaving it well funded for an accelerated exploration program in 2026.
Acquired licences (red) and applications (green) over the Mt York area. The dark blue licences are Kairos exploration licences and the light blue polygons cover the areas where Kairos owns all mineral rights including gold (except lithium and tantalum). The background image is a greyscale magnetic image.
Carlindi flagged as priority gold target
The Carlindi Prospect is the highest-priority gold target within the Pincunah package, with a 5-kilometre soil-in-gold anomaly developed over interpreted BIF along strike from Mt York.
Historic drilling at Carlindi has returned shallow, high-grade intercepts, including:
- 6 metres at 9.08 g/t gold from 4 metres
- 4 metres at 10.17 g/t from surface
- 16 metres at 1.73 g/t from 9 metres
Kairos plans to systematically drill Carlindi in the first half of 2026 with the aim of defining a maiden gold resource that could be incorporated into the Mt York project. Future drilling will specifically target BIF units if confirmed in the area, consistent with the main mineralised host at Mt York.
Additional base metals upside at Valley of the Gossans
The acquisition also brings exposure to the Valley of the Gossans Prospect, where Trek previously identified a large bismuth-arsenic soil anomaly and interpreted the area as a potential volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) system.
Valley of the Gossans and Champagne Pool soil geochemical characterisation of both prospects
Drilling by Trek returned base metal and wide silver-rich intersections, including 34 metres at 99.8g/t silver from 66 metres, with mineralisation interpreted as potentially proximal to a VMS source. Kairos plans to follow up the base metals potential alongside its gold-focused exploration program.
Valley of the Gossans RC drilling results
Geophysics to drive next exploration phase
Kairos intends to fly a large-scale airborne electromagnetic survey over its expanded Mt York tenure, including the newly acquired Pincunah ground and surrounding Pilbara Minerals tenements where Kairos holds the gold rights.
The company believes electromagnetic surveying will be effective in identifying sulphidic, BIF-hosted gold mineralisation similar to that seen at Mt York, allowing for rapid target generation and prioritisation ahead of drilling.
Deal structure and next steps
The acquisition consideration comprises a $200,000 first tranche, split evenly between cash and Kairos shares, plus $200,000 in performance rights that vest upon the definition of a 50,000-ounce gold resource at a minimum grade of 1 g/t gold within five years.
Next steps include transferring the licences, integrating Trek’s geochemical and drilling data into Kairos’ database, delivering the updated Mt York resource estimate in late March, and commencing drilling at Carlindi in the first half of 2026.