Solstice Minerals Hits 169m at 0.87% Copper Expanding Nanadie to 1.5km Strike

Major new copper-gold hits extend Nanadie system to 1.5km strike

Solstice Minerals (ASX: SLS) has released significant new RC and diamond drilling results from its 100%-owned Nanadie Copper-Gold Project, located northwest of Sandstone in WA’s Goldfields. The headline result, NANRCD001, returned a combined RC and diamond intercept of 169.3m @ 0.87% Cu, 0.29g/t Au, including 73.3m @ 1.07% Cu, 0.26g/t Au from 299m, extending well beyond the current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) boundary.

That intercept is located 80m north of breakthrough holes NANRCD004 (629m @ 0.5% Cu, 0.17g/t Au EOH) and NANRCD005 (722.3m @ 0.44% Cu, 0.13g/t Au EOH), building genuine volume and grade continuity at depth. Step-out RC drilling has simultaneously expanded the overall Nanadie mineralised system to at least 1.5km of strike, with NANRC065 returning 28m @ 0.52% Cu, 0.17g/t Au from 67m, hitting mineralisation 160m beyond previous drilling to the north. The system remains open to the north, south, and at depth.

Key headline metrics from this release:

• NANRCD001: 169.3m @ 0.87% Cu, 0.29g/t Au (including 73.3m @ 1.07% Cu, 0.26g/t Au from 299m)
• High-grade sub-intercepts: 8m @ 2.12% Cu, 0.45g/t Au from 309m; 6.3m @ 2.65% Cu, 0.46g/t Au from 366m
• Emerging eastern zone: 4.6m @ 1.65% Cu, 0.26g/t Au from 499.4m; 24.9m @ 0.56% Cu, 0.24g/t Au from 509.7m
• System strike extended to at least 1.5km

Drilling results in detail — diamond tails and RC expand mineralisation in multiple directions

NANRCD001 and NANRCD002 — continuity confirmed at depth

The RC-plus-diamond tail methodology works by drilling an initial RC pre-collar hole, then extending it at depth using diamond core drilling. This combination is efficient: RC drilling covers ground quickly and cost-effectively in the upper sections, while the diamond tail provides the depth penetration and grade precision needed to test a large mineralised system properly.

NANRCD001 confirms excellent continuity with the adjacent hole NANRCD002 on the same section, and with the high-grade zones identified 80m to the south in NANRCD004 and NANRCD005. Grades increase toward the eastern margin of the host gabbro, a structural position that is emerging as a key high-grade target across the broader Nanadie system.

The Nanadie copper-gold expansion targets identified in earlier programmes laid the structural groundwork for the current drill programme, with geologists flagging the eastern gabbro margin and northern strike extensions as priority zones well before these results confirmed their potential.

NANRCD002, drilled on the same section, also delivered widespread mineralisation:

• 23.9m @ 0.76% Cu, 0.23g/t Au from 342.9m
• 24.9m @ 0.50% Cu, 0.14g/t Au from 425.1m
• 23m @ 0.46% Cu, 0.12g/t Au from 461m
• 5.8m @ 1.00% Cu, 2.43g/t Au to end of hole (EOH), including 1m @ 0.80% Cu, 12.71g/t Au from 565m

NANRCD002 has since been extended as NANRCD002A to a final depth of 729m to test the emerging eastern zone, with assays pending. Critically, both holes intersected significant copper-gold mineralisation more than 300m below the current MRE boundary.

RC resource definition drilling — shallow high-grade zone north of cross-fault

Resource definition RC drilling is defining a commercially important shallow mineralised position on the northern side of a local cross-fault, with grades returning above the current MRE in several holes. The eastern margin of the host gabbro is emerging as a particularly strong structural position in this part of the deposit.

Significant new RC intercepts include:

• NANRC063: 51m @ 0.50% Cu, 0.16g/t Au (oxide) from 5m; 17m @ 0.54% Cu, 0.11g/t Au from 106m; 27m @ 1.23% Cu, 0.15g/t Au from 135m, including 3m @ 5.78% Cu, 0.57g/t Au from 156m
• NANRC062: 47m @ 0.66% Cu, 0.18g/t Au (oxide) from 4m; 28m @ 0.67% Cu, 0.23g/t Au from 55m; 40m @ 0.52% Cu, 0.11g/t Au from 169m; 17m @ 0.65% Cu, 0.09g/t Au from 221m
• NANRC060: 56m @ 0.50% Cu, 0.16g/t Au from 62m
• NANRC059: 2m @ 6.27% Cu, 1.58g/t Au from 79m

CEO Nick Castleden described the shallow, high-grade position north of the cross-fault as a “potential game changer for future pit optimisations.” He also highlighted the significance of the eastern margin position running across two intercepts nearly 700m apart:

Nick Castleden, CEO & Managing Director

“Nanadie continues to surprise on the upside. The outstanding combined RC and diamond intercept in NANRCD001 continues to build genuine volume and grade around our stellar NANRCD004 and NANRCD005 drillholes, while the delineation of a shallow, high-grade position north of the cross-fault is a potential game changer for future pit optimisations.

“Importantly, the significant intercepts of 169.3m @ 0.87% Cu, 0.29g/t Au including 73.3m @ 1.07% Cu, 0.26g/t Au in NANRCD001 and 27m @ 1.23% Cu, 0.15g/t Au in NANRC063 are located almost 700 metres apart, and both sit on the eastern margin of the host gabbro – a position that has emerged as a key exploration target at Nanadie. These high-grade results highlight the compelling opportunities ahead of us as we systematically drill test this surface along the length of the mineralised system…”

Significant new intercepts — summary table:

Understanding copper-gold resource drilling — what these results mean for investors

RC drilling (Reverse Circulation) uses pressurised air to force rock chips back up the drill string to surface in a continuous stream, providing fast and cost-effective sampling across large areas. Diamond drilling cuts a solid cylinder of rock, called core, which gives geologists a precise, unbroken record of the geology and mineralisation at depth. Combining the two in a “diamond tail” approach means Solstice drills the upper portion cheaply with RC, then extends the hole deeper with a diamond core section where precision matters most.

The current Nanadie MRE sits at 40.4 million tonnes at 0.4% Cu and 0.1g/t Au, containing 162,000 tonnes of copper and 130,000 ounces of gold. An MRE represents the volume of mineralisation that has been defined by drilling to a sufficient standard for public reporting — but it is not a fixed number. When drilling intersects significant grades beyond the existing MRE boundary, as NANRCD001 and NANRCD002 have done at more than 300m below the current boundary, it signals the resource is larger than currently defined. Each positive step-out result increases the probability of a materially upgraded MRE.

The identification of the eastern margin of the host gabbro as a repeating high-grade structural position is particularly significant. Two intercepts nearly 700m apart, NANRCD001 and NANRC063, both returned strong grades on this same margin. If that pattern holds across the full strike length, it could represent a high-grade corridor running through the length of the system — a meaningful upgrade to the resource’s grade profile, not just its size.

Solstice positioned for sustained newsflow with $45M cash and 40+ holes pending

Three drill rigs are currently operating on site, including a second RC rig recently deployed, and the multi-rig RC and diamond programme is expected to continue through the balance of 2026. The pending pipeline is substantial: assays are pending from a further 14 completed diamond holes and over 20 RC holes, according to the forward programme section of the announcement, providing a steady stream of expected newsflow over coming months.

Solstice holds $45 million cash and no debt, a position that supports continued expansion of the drilling programme without near-term funding pressure. The Nanadie project sits beneath shallow cover on a granted Mining Lease in flat WA Goldfields terrain, a mining-friendly jurisdiction with established infrastructure access.

The company’s updated geological model has also opened multiple additional growth targets at the nearby Stark Prospect, which is being incorporated into ongoing planning. Additional RC drill sites are being prepared to test the emerging eastern zone identified by NANRCD001, including holes oriented toward grid west.

Key forward catalysts to watch:

1. Assays pending from 14 completed diamond holes
2. Assays pending from over 20 RC holes
3. NANRCD002A extension results (drilled to 729m depth to test the eastern zone)
4. Additional RC drilling to test the emerging eastern zone
5. Updated geological model incorporating the nearby Stark Prospect

The combination of a large-volume copper-gold system, grade upside concentrated along a repeating high-grade structural margin, and a clear near-term catalyst stream from pending assay results positions Nanadie as one of the more active copper exploration stories in WA’s Goldfields.

For investors exploring how Solstice is deploying its $45 million cash position across multiple fronts simultaneously, our dedicated guide to Solstice’s Yarri gold programme details the scale and targets of the parallel gold drilling effort running alongside the Nanadie copper-gold campaign in 2026.

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