Lightning Minerals Ltd (ASX:L1M) (Lightning Minerals Ltd (ASX:L1M)) has completed its Western Zone soil geochemistry program at the wholly owned Mt Turner Gold Project in northern Queensland, moving the company closer to refining its next round of gold drill targets.
The field program collected 551 systematic soil samples across the highly prospective 5-kilometre Western Zone structure, along with 12 rock samples made up of gossanous breccias and altered intrusives.
Samples will be sent to ALS Laboratories for gold and multi-element analysis, with results expected by mid-August 2026.
Location of Soil Samples along the Western Zone, Mt.Turner over LIDAR DEM (Digital Elevation Model).
Western Zone work completed ahead of next drilling phase
The program was completed safely, ahead of schedule and below budget, reflecting a disciplined approach to exploration, execution and capital management.
The Western Zone is the second major district-scale geochemical program completed at Mt Turner after the Drummer Fault campaign in 2025. Lightning is using geochemistry as a key part of its broader strategy to assess multiple gold-bearing structural corridors across the project.
Managing director Troy Brice said completion of the work marked another important step in the company’s systematic evaluation of Mt Turner.
“Rather than relying on individual exploration results, we're integrating geology, geochemistry and structural interpretation to progressively refine our geological model and identify the highest-priority drill targets.
“We're now looking forward to receiving the assay results, which will provide another important dataset to help prioritise targets for our Phase 3 drilling program.”
Expanding the Mt Turner exploration model
The Western Zone program forms part of Lightning’s exploration strategy announced in April 2026, which prioritised systematic exploration of its flagship Mt Turner Gold Project.
The program covered about 5 kilometres of prospective structural corridor immediately west of the Mt Turner copper-gold porphyry system and complemented the recently completed Drummer Fault soil campaign.
Lightning's combined programs were helping to expand its understanding of the broader mineral system and strengthen its geological model across multiple prospective structural trends.
A map included in the announcement shows the Western Zone soil sample locations over a LIDAR digital elevation model, illustrating the broad spread of sampling across the target corridor.
Exploration pipeline taking shape
With field activities completed, Lightning said it can now move from data acquisition to interpretation and drill target refinement.
The company’s North Queensland exploration pipeline includes completed soil programs at Drummer Fault, Western Zone and Red Hills Breccia, while ALS gold and multi-element laboratory analysis is in progress. Laboratory assay results are expected in mid-August 2026.
Phase 2 drilling has been rescheduled for mid-August 2026 after drill rig mobilisation was delayed due to extended crew resourcing challenges in the North Queensland region.
Lightning’s Mt Turner project hosts a large-scale gold system extending over about 14 kilometres of strike along the prospective Drummer Fault, with ongoing drilling aimed at progressing the project toward resource definition and development.
What’s ahead
Once laboratory assays are received, Lightning plans to interpret the Western Zone geochemical dataset, integrate results with geological mapping, structural interpretation and historical exploration data, and rank geochemical anomalies across the target area.
The company will then use the results to support Phase 3 drill target selection, scheduled for September 2026, while continuing to refine its district-scale exploration model across the broader Mt Turner Gold Project.