Amara Minerals Hits 102.3m @ 2.29 g/t Au at Apollo, Logs Visible Gold
Key Takeaways
- Hole AA2603 returned 102.3m @ 2.29 g/t Au from 140.5m, including 66.8m @ 3.08 g/t Au and 11.0m @ 12.79 g/t Au from 177.1m.
- AA2602 added 73.4m @ 1.31 g/t Au below the extent of previous drilling, with 0.6m @ 21.8 g/t Au inside it.
- Fine visible gold has been logged in a fourth hole, AA2604, but assays aren't due until mid-November and nothing can be inferred about grade yet.
- The Dig Fault Zone remains open at depth and south of Meade's Open Cut, with AA2605 already collared to test down-dip.
- A maiden Mineral Resource Estimate is being evaluated but is a potential outcome only, with no resource confirmed from four holes and 1,264.8m of drilling.
Apollo drilling delivers 102.3m @ 2.29 g/t Au and fresh visible gold
Drilling at the Apollo Gold and Antimony Project has returned a broad gold intercept of 102.3m @ 2.29 g/t Au from 140.5m in hole AA2603, and a fourth hole has logged fine visible gold. Amara Minerals (ASX:AM3) reported the results in its 12 October 2026 exploration update.
Within that interval, AA2603 also returned 66.8m @ 3.08 g/t Au from 140.5m, including 11.0m @ 12.79 g/t Au from 177.1m. Intercepts of that width, with high-grade zones inside them, are what explorers look for when assessing bulk-tonnage potential.
Hole AA2602 added 73.4m @ 1.31 g/t Au from 221.5m. The company said this sits below the extent of previous drilling within the core of the system.
Hole AA2604 has been completed with visible gold logged and assays pending, while AA2605 has now been collared. The 100%-owned project is in central Victoria, and four holes have been completed for 1,264.8m.
The first three holes were positioned within the upper Dig Fault Zone. Their aim was to potentially extend and increase the higher-grade core of the mineralisation, supporting geological modelling and the evaluation of a potential maiden Mineral Resource Estimate. That is a potential outcome only, and no resource has been confirmed.
Ian Holland, Managing Director
“These strong results from AA2602 and especially AA2603 confirm historic intercepts at Apollo and support the potential for a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for the project…”
When big ASX news breaks, our subscribers know first
Hole-by-hole results
The table below sets out the broad intercepts reported so far from the current program. AA2601 was previously reported on 8 September 2026.
Assay highlights
| Hole | Interval | Grade | From (m) | Estimated true width |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA2601 (previously reported) | 57.5m (including 20m) | 2.62 g/t Au (including 5.13 g/t Au) | 139.5 | Not stated in this announcement |
| AA2602 | 73.4m | 1.31 g/t Au | 221.5 | ~18.5m |
| AA2603 | 102.3m | 2.29 g/t Au | 140.5 | ~27.3m |
True widths are approximate and based on the interpreted orientation of the Dig Fault Zone. Intercepts are reported as down-hole widths and are length-weighted averages, with no lower cut-off and no top cut applied.
High-grade zones within the broad intercepts
AA2602 also contained narrower, higher-grade zones:
- 1.6m @ 8.33 g/t Au from 263.7m
- 0.6m @ 21.8 g/t Au from 269.2m
The pattern matters. High-grade cores sitting inside wide mineralised envelopes is the profile that supports a bulk-tonnage case, though the company has not made that claim from these holes alone.
Visible gold and what it means
Visible gold is gold that can be seen in drill core by eye or with a hand lens. It excites explorers because it confirms gold is present, but it says nothing reliable about how much.
Only laboratory assays can determine the widths and grades of any mineralisation. The company said so directly: visual estimates of mineral abundance “should never be considered a proxy or substitute for laboratory analyses.”
In AA2604, fine visible gold was logged at two depths, 276.05m and 288.0m. The grains are fine-grained (<1mm), and the company described them as extremely rare, trace and non-continuous, hosted in or marginal to infrequent quartz-muscovite veinlets.
Samples from AA2604 have been submitted to OnSite Laboratories in Bendigo. Assays are expected in mid-November, subject to laboratory throughput. Nothing can be inferred yet about the grade or width of AA2604.
The Dig Fault Zone is the structure hosting the mineralisation. The company said it remains open at depth and to the south of Meade’s Open Cut, meaning drilling has not yet found its limits in those directions.
The next major ASX story will hit our subscribers first
Apollo’s investment case and what comes next
Growing system with historical support
Previous explorers reported high-grade intercepts at Apollo, which Amara disclosed on 14 February 2025. They include:
- GMDH36: 28.0m @ 10.2 g/t Au from 138.0m
- GMDH28: 39.5m @ 7.25 g/t Au from 118.6m
Apollo sits in Victoria’s Melbourne Zone, which is also home to the Sunday Creek deposit being advanced by Southern Cross Gold Consolidated (ASX:SX2) and the Costerfield mine operated by Alkane Resources (ASX:ALK). The company stressed this is geological context only, and that mineralisation at those projects does not guarantee similar results at Apollo.
The project also hosts antimony-bearing stibnite, according to the company’s profile.
Next steps
The announcement points to the following work:
- AA2605 drilling, targeting mineralisation down-dip of AA2603 and AA2604
- AA2604 assays, expected in mid-November
- Further planned holes to extend the mineralised envelope outside previous drilling
- An ongoing exploration program of 2,000m of diamond core
For investors, the near-term catalysts are assay flow and the evaluation of a potential maiden Mineral Resource Estimate. The announcement does not disclose share price or funding details.
Get Gold News Before the Market Moves
Join 30,000+ investors receiving FREE breaking ASX gold news within minutes of release, complete with in-depth analysis. Click the “Free Alerts” button at Big News Blast to stay ahead of the market and catch the next gold breakout the moment it hits.