Minerals 260 Grade Control Drilling Backs 6.2Moz Gold Resource Ahead of Feasibility Study
Key Takeaways
- Initial grade control drilling of 320 RC holes on 10m x 10m spacing, including 39 twin-hole pairs, shows grades consistent with the 6.2Moz Bullabulling resource.
- Phoenix grade control returned standout hits including 11m @ 9.0g/t Au and 6m @ 17.1g/t Au, in ground expected to be mined in the first three months of production.
- Bacchus delivered 1.1m @ 290g/t Au, but with 70% to 85% true width and further drilling needed, it is not a change to average resource grade.
- Extensional holes hit mineralisation beneath and about 100m below the Phoenix pit shell, pointing to potential resource growth.
- No DFS timeline is disclosed, though a second grade control program starts shortly to feed the Definitive Feasibility Study.
Grade control drilling confirms Bullabulling resource, with 1.1m @ 290g/t Au at Bacchus
In its 13 October 2026 drilling update, Minerals 260 (ASX:MI6) reported results from 53 infill and extensional holes (11,674m) and 320 grade control holes (25,970m) at its 100%-owned 6.2Moz Bullabulling Gold Project, located 25km south-west of Coolgardie in Western Australia.
The headline intercepts were 1.1m @ 290g/t Au from 170m in BBRD0538 at Bacchus and 7m @ 10.9g/t Au from 7m in BBGC0070 at Phoenix.
For investors, the key point is that grades from the initial grade control program are described as consistent with the Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE). That reduces modelling uncertainty ahead of the Definitive Feasibility Study, although the announcement does not give a DFS timeline.
The company said drilling continues to:
- Confirm continuity of mineralisation within the 6.2Moz MRE, as well as extensions beyond the MRE boundaries
- Strengthen confidence in the MRE, with initial grade control results consistent with MRE modelling
- Intersect thick, high-grade mineralisation in the footwall lodes at Phoenix and Bacchus
- Support the upgrade of Inferred Resources to Indicated
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Phoenix grade control validates the model
Initial program complete
Minerals 260 has completed its initial grade control program, drilled on 10m x 10m spacing. It comprised 320 Reverse Circulation (RC) holes across the Phoenix North and South areas, in an area expected to be mined in the first three months of production.
Preliminary analysis, including 39 RC-RC twin-hole pairs, indicates overall gold grades are consistent with the drilling underpinning the MRE. Put simply, tightly spaced holes are telling the same story as the wider-spaced holes used to build the resource.
A second grade control program will commence shortly. Its results are intended to support the Definitive Feasibility Study, the ongoing grade control strategy and Resource-to-Reserve evaluation.
Standout grade control intercepts
The table below lists selected grade control results from the announcement highlights.
| Hole | Intercept | Including | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBGC0026* | **21m @ 3.4g/t Au** from 27m | 1m @ 52.6g/t Au from 36m | Phoenix |
| BBGC0070* | **7m @ 10.9g/t Au** from 7m | 2m @ 35.4g/t Au from 7m | Phoenix |
| BBGC0123* | **11m @ 9.0g/t Au** from 49m | 2m @ 44.8g/t Au from 49m | Phoenix |
| BBGC0267* | **6m @ 17.1g/t Au** from 19m | 2m @ 45.0g/t Au from 20m | Phoenix |
| BBGC0285* | **6m @ 10.0g/t Au** from 22m | 2m @ 24.0g/t Au from 23m | Phoenix |
| BBGC0305* | **21m @ 2.0g/t Au** from 58m | 1m @ 23.9g/t Au from 63m | Phoenix |
*True widths are estimated at between 85% and 95% of the reported drillhole intercepts.
Luke McFadyen, Managing Director
“Results from our initial grade-control drilling strengthens our confidence in the Mineral Resource and improves our understanding of the mineralisation at a mining scale…”
Infill and extensional results point to growth
Phoenix and Bacchus
At Phoenix (74Mt @ 0.95g/t Au for 2,300koz), infill hole BBRC0733 returned 14m @ 1.0g/t Au from 142m, 5m @ 3.8g/t Au from 206m and 15m @ 1.9g/t Au from 254m.
Extensional drilling supports potential MRE growth. BBRD0009 intersected 8m @ 1.0g/t Au from 354m directly beneath the MRE pit shell, while BBRD0693 returned 5m @ 2.8g/t Au from 412m, about 100m below it.
At Bacchus (72Mt @ 1.0g/t Au for 2,400koz), BBRD0538 returned 1.1m @ 290g/t Au from 170m and 6.5m @ 2.3g/t Au from 270m. BBRD0546 hit 1m @ 35.8g/t Au, and extensional hole BBRD0701 returned 10m @ 2.4g/t Au from 309m.
Keep the 290g/t figure in perspective. It is a 1.1m intercept, with true width estimated at 70% to 85% of the drillhole intercept. The company said additional drilling is planned to assess the geometry and continuity of these higher-grade zones and their potential materiality to the MRE, so it should not be read as a change to average resource grade.
Kraken and Dicksons
Smaller deposits also contributed results:
- Kraken (16Mt @ 1.1g/t Au for 540koz): BBRC0718 returned 7m @ 1.5g/t Au from 135m
- Dicksons (22Mt @ 0.9g/t Au for 660koz): BBRC0735 (5m @ 1.8g/t Au), BBRC0736 (7m @ 1.2g/t Au) and BBRC0751 (4m @ 2.3g/t Au)
The deposit figures quoted are Total Resource, not Indicated only. Several extensional holes report diamond tail results only.
What are “jewellery boxes”? Understanding high-grade gold trends
Most of the MRE sits in north-south striking, west-dipping, stacked mineralised lodes. Analysis of drillhole intervals has now improved the definition of higher-grade trends running northeast and northwest, counter to that general orientation.
These interpreted structural controls appear to influence where higher-grade gold sits. Where the trends intersect may provide favourable sites for higher-grade gold concentrations, which the company calls “jewellery boxes”.
A review of visible-gold occurrences found spatial clustering that broadly aligns with these trends, adding geological support for their orientation.
What does that mean for you? Higher-grade zones could, in principle, improve a project’s economics. But their continuity, significance and representation in the existing MRE block model are yet to be determined, so treat this as an exploration idea rather than a confirmed outcome.
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Regional targets and next steps
A ground gravity survey defined a continuous north-northwest trending gravity high that hosts the Bullabulling deposit and trends north of the MRE. South of the MRE, the stratigraphy rotates to a southeast trend.
The change in orientation at Kraken is interpreted as a structural inflection, a setting known to be favourable for hosting gold mineralisation in the Eastern Goldfields. The survey has been used to generate further targets for drill testing.
The announcement points to the following next steps:
- A second grade control program, commencing shortly
- Work to determine the geological controls, continuity and significance of the high-grade trends
- Mine planning, grade control design and the Definitive Feasibility Study
- Drill testing of regional targets generated by the gravity survey
The current MRE, with an effective reporting date of 8 July 2026, is summarised below.
| Category | Tonnes | Grade | Ounces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicated | **140Mt** | **0.98g/t** | **4,400koz** |
| Inferred | **51Mt** | **1.0g/t** | **1,700koz** |
| Total | **190Mt** | **1.0g/t** | **6,200koz** |
Figures are rounded to two significant figures, so numerical differences occur. The announcement does not disclose a production date, financial result or Definitive Feasibility Study timing.
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