Highlights
- 153‐hole/6,679m reconnaissance Air‐Core (AC) drilling program completed at Cardinia East.
- Significant gold intersections returned, including:
- SC24AC002: 7m @ 0.86 g/t Au from 68m
- X424AC015: 8m @ 1.20 g/t Au from 32m
- X424AC016: 4m @ 1.69 g/t Au from 44m
- The new Scallop Prospect now hosts a confirmed 1km‐long gold trend, situated adjacent to the established Cardinia East resources.
- Follow‐up Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling planned for next quarter to further assess these promising targets.
The results further enhance the Cardinia Gold Project’s reputation as a high‐potential gold asset and reinforce the Company's commitment to advancing this exciting exploration opportunity.
The latest exploration campaign involved an integrated approach, including Induced Polarisation (IP) geophysical surveying, geological mapping, geochemical sampling, RC drilling, and Down‐Hole Electro‐Magnetic (DHEM) surveys—all of which have contributed to a growing understanding of the Cardinia gold system.
Patronus Resources’ Managing Director, John Ingram, commented:“This air‐core program has delivered highly encouraging results, further enhancing our understanding of the mineralised corridors within the Cardinia East Project. The identification of a new 1km‐long anomalous gold trend at Scallop, coupled with its strategic location adjacent to existing resources, significantly enhances the potential of this area. We are excited to commence follow‐up RC drilling next quarter to refine these targets and unlock further value for our shareholders.”
Figure 1 – Location of Patronus’ Mertondale and Cardinia East Projects. The two projects sit within 10km of each other and from Genesis Minerals’ existing/future operations.
Air‐core Program Overview
The recently completed AC drilling campaign spanned 6,679m across 13 lines and six key prospects within the Cardinia East area (Figure 2). Line spacing varied between 200m and 350m, strategically designed to test geochemical anomalies and underlying structures beneath transported and weathered cover.
Several targets were identified as potential extensions of known mineralised systems, providing further evidence of gold continuity within the project area.
Significant gold intercepts include:
- SC24AC002: 7m @ 0.86 g/t Au from 68m
- SC24AC007: 4m @ 0.61 g/t Au from 8m
- X424AC015: 8m @ 1.20 g/t Au from 32m
- X424AC016: 4m @ 1.69 g/t Au from 44m
The Scallop prospect continues to emerge as a priority exploration target, with geological logging revealing the presence of a distinct pink porphyritic unit—a feature commonly associated with high‐ grade gold shoots in the Cardinia‐Mertondale corridor.
The 1km‐long corridor of gold anomalism sits within a highly prospective structural setting, adjacent to an interpreted D1 shear zone, in close proximity to significant gold mineralisation and with historic workings located nearby. The trend is located between the Helens deposit to the east and the Chieftess and Comedy King prospects to the west (Figure 3). The relationship between the mineralisation at Chieftess, Comedy King, Scallop and Helens is not yet known, and the Company believes that further RC drilling will aid in the geological understanding of these mineralised structures.
Notably, mineralisation appears to continue to the north of the prospect, where the Cardinia Creek currently creates a gap in drilling coverage. However, strong geochemical signatures indicate the potential extension of gold mineralisation beyond the currently drilled area.
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Figure 1 – Location of Patronus’ Mertondale and Cardinia East Projects. The two projects sit within 10km of each other and from Genesis Minerals’ existing/future operations.
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