Krakatoa Resources Details 1,000m Drill Program Advancing Toward Maiden JORC Resource
Key Takeaways
- Krakatoa Resources has completed over 1,000m of diamond and underground core sampling at Zopkhito in 2026, with 11 surface holes and 27 underground holes drilled to date.
- First assay results from the program are expected mid-September 2026, with a second batch already at the laboratory and a third recently dispatched — creating a near-term newsflow pipeline.
- Surface drilling has shifted to the West zone to target 4–6 stacked near-vertical veins representing up to 6 previously undrilled structures from the 17 known veins at the project.
- The existing foreign (non-JORC) resource estimate contains 26,000 tonnes of antimony at 11.6% Sb and 815,119 ounces of gold at 3.7g/t — figures that require JORC validation before they can be formally reported.
- Krakatoa holds an exclusive option to acquire up to 80% of Zopkhito and is completing acquisition of its initial 10% interest, with a mining licence valid until March 2042 underpinning the project's long-term tenure.
Krakatoa Resources has completed over 1,000m of diamond and underground core sampling at its Zopkhito Antimony-Gold Project in Georgia so far this year, with multiple technical workstreams advancing toward a maiden JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE). The drilling program has now delivered 11 surface holes and 27 underground holes to date, with first assay results expected mid-September 2026. For investors tracking the company’s Georgian asset, the maiden JORC MRE represents the key value-inflection milestone this entire program is building toward.
Drilling shifts west to target undrilled veins
The surface drilling program has moved from the East zone to the West zone, where the company is targeting a series of 4–6 stacked near-vertical veins. These veins represent up to 6 new structures from the 17 known veins that form part of the existing foreign resource estimate. Historical exploration adits in this area have already defined vein geometry, providing a foundation for the current drill program.
Underground activity has now shifted its focus to the Central zone, where the team is collecting geological data and metallurgical samples. That dual approach — surface drilling on new targets and underground sampling on established veins — is what builds the technical foundation for a JORC-compliant resource.
Assay pipeline status:
- First batch: results expected mid-September 2026
- Second batch: currently at the laboratory
- Third batch: recently dispatched
- Metallurgical bulk sampling: preparation complete, samples to be collected within weeks
Mark Major, CEO
“Our exploration and technical programs are progressing well on all aspects, with underground and surface drilling continuing as planned, and first assay results expected shortly. Surface drilling has now moved to the western zone, where we are targeting several previously undrilled veins, while underground work in the central zone is generating additional geological data and samples for analysis.
These work programs are improving our geological understanding of Zopkhito and providing the technical foundation required as we progress towards defining a maiden JORC-compliant Mineral Resource.
We are also working on the completion of the acquisition of the initial 10% project ownership which strengthens our commitment to the project.”
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Understanding the Zopkhito opportunity
Two concepts matter here for investors new to this project: what a Foreign Resource Estimate is, and why antimony is classified as a critical mineral.
A Foreign Resource Estimate is a historical mineral inventory prepared under a different reporting standard — in this case, the Soviet-era GKZ classification system. It is not reported under the JORC Code 2012, which is the Australian standard for Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. That means a Competent Person has not yet done sufficient work to classify the foreign estimate as a JORC-compliant Mineral Resource. The numbers exist, but they require validation through modern drilling, sampling, and modelling before they can be reported under JORC.
Here is what the existing foreign resource contains:
| Metal | Tonnes | Grade | Contained Metal | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antimony | 225Kt | 11.6% Sb | 26,000t Sb | Foreign Estimate (non-JORC) |
| Gold | 7.1Mt | 3.7g/t | 815,119oz Au | Foreign Estimate (non-JORC) |
The antimony component is what gives this project its strategic significance. Antimony is a critical mineral for Europe, which is pushing hard for secure, diversified critical mineral supply chains. The deposit also benefits from extensive historical work, including over 15,000 historical samples and multiple underground exploration adits that provide geological continuity data most greenfield projects lack.
Project ownership and the path to a maiden JORC resource
Krakatoa holds an exclusive option to acquire up to 80% interest in the Zopkhito Antimony-Gold Project and is working to complete acquisition of its initial 10% interest (refer ASX announcement dated 7 August 2026, “Strategic Placement to Fund Initial Zopkhito Earn-in”).
Project fundamentals:
- Project area: 1,779 hectares
- Existing mining licence valid until March 2042
- Independent technical review confirmed site systems operating effectively
The company is running several concurrent workstreams that support future advancement. Metallurgical bulk sampling preparation is complete, with samples to be collected within weeks before submission for ore sorting and metallurgical test work in Europe, environmental baseline studies are progressing, permitting activities continue, and reproduction verification sampling is being conducted within the adits to validate historical exploration datasets.
That parallel approach de-risks the pathway to an MRE and demonstrates the project is being advanced on multiple fronts simultaneously, not sequentially.
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What’s next for Krakatoa investors
The forward pipeline is where the near-term catalysts sit. Management has stated the company expects “a steady pipeline of operational updates and technical milestones from Zopkhito throughout the remainder of 2026.”
Upcoming catalysts:
- First assay batch results — mid-September 2026
- Second and third assay batches to follow
- Metallurgical sample collection — within weeks
- Completion of initial 10% interest acquisition
- Progress toward maiden JORC-compliant MRE
Multiple concurrent workstreams are building the technical foundation for a maiden JORC resource, with near-term assay catalysts providing regular newsflow. That is the investment thesis playing out in real time.
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