Pilbara Gold Ltd (ASX:PGL) has secured unconditional mineral rights over 367 square kilometres of prospective ground surrounding its 2.1-million-ounce Mt York Gold Project in Western Australia, substantially expanding its district-scale exploration position.
The Mineral Rights Agreement (MRA) with PLS Group Limited gives Pilbara Gold rights to explore three granted exploration licences and one application for gold and base metals, excluding lithium and tantalum.
The additional ground complements 168 square kilometres of contiguous licences and an application acquired from Trek Metals earlier this year, further consolidating Pilbara Gold's position around Mt York.
Exploration Licences and applications subject of the MRA (blue licences) surrounding the Company’s Mt York Gold Project.
Mineral rights add 1,500-metre Main Hill extension
Importantly, the mineral rights cover a 1,500-metre extension of the Main Hill deposit, where Pilbara Gold has already returned drilling results including 9 metres at 3.92 g/t gold from 97 metres, 16 metres at 2.60 g/t from 157 metres and 8 metres at 3.81 g/t from 128 metres.
Early access to the Main Hill Extension Prospect had been granted when the MRA was signed, allowing Pilbara Gold to begin drilling the area before all conditions precedent were satisfied.
With the agreement now unconditional, the company can explore throughout the relevant PLS tenure for gold and base metals, subject to its activities being authorised by PLS.
Pilbara Gold managing director Dr Peter Turner said the ground had not been systematically explored for gold despite containing geology similar to Mt York.
He said the company had already demonstrated the importance of the agreement by extending gold mineralisation for 1,500 metres at the Mt York deposit, while the 2026 drilling campaign was targeting further resource growth at depth and along strike.
Next steps
Pilbara Gold will continue its 50,000-metre-plus infill and extensional drilling program, analyse and report results as they are received and progress the Mt York pre-feasibility study (PFS).
It will also complete and interpret the planned AEM survey across the Greater Mt York area.
About Pilbara Gold
Pilbara Gold owns 100% of the Mt York Gold Project in Western Australia's Pilbara region, which hosts a mineral resource of 61.7 million tonnes at 1.05 g/t gold for about 2.08 million ounces at a 0.4 g/t cut-off.
A November 2024 scoping study outlined an open-cut operation using conventional carbon-in-leach processing, while the current drilling campaign is designed to support further resource growth for inclusion in the PFS.
The company also owns the Roe Hills Project, 120 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie, where it is targeting a maiden gold resource in 2026.