Augustus Eyes First Drill Test at St Patrick’s Well With 30g/t Au Rock Chips
Key Takeaways
- Three RC scissor holes totalling 486m have been completed at Clifton East, drilled at oblique northwest angles to properly test a quartz-pyrite vein set identified by diamond hole MWD0001 that earlier drilling may have missed.
- All Clifton East RC samples are now at Intertek Laboratory in Kalgoorlie, with assays expected mid-to-late October — while MWD0001 diamond core assays are due within two weeks.
- St Patrick's Well is next in the queue, carrying rock chip results of 30.4g/t Au, 21.7g/t Au, and 20.4g/t Au across 600m of strike, with the upcoming RC holes representing the first-ever systematic drilling at the prospect.
- St Patrick's Well sits adjacent to the same major shear zone hosting Clifton East mineralisation and the Celtic gold mine, a geological setting already proven to deliver economic gold.
- The 1,242km² Music Well Gold Project is 100% owned by Augustus and sits within a district carrying a gold endowment exceeding 28 million ounces, abutting active mines including Darlot, King of the Hills, and Thunderbox.
RC drilling set to resume at Music Well as high-grade St Patrick’s Well moves into the queue
Augustus Minerals is pushing through weather delays at its Music Well Gold Project, 35km north of Leonora in the Leonora/Laverton Greenstone Belt of Western Australia, with two high-priority drill targets now in sight.
Three RC holes totalling 486m have been completed at the Clifton East prospect, before drilling was suspended on 29 August following 120mm of rainfall between early August and early September. Further heavy rain on 6–7 September compounded the delay, with warm weather now expected to dry the access tracks ahead of a site inspection scheduled for Monday next week. Drilling is hoped to recommence within a fortnight.
Two near-term newsflow windows are approaching simultaneously: assays from the first diamond core hole (MWD0001) are expected within two weeks, while all Clifton East RC samples are now at the Kalgoorlie laboratory with results due mid to late October.
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Clifton East — scissor drilling strategy targets high-grade quartz vein zones
The three completed RC holes at Clifton East were not routine infill drilling. Diamond drill hole MWD0001 identified a quartz-pyrite vein set oriented sub-parallel to the existing drill holes, meaning those veins risked being missed or undersampled by earlier drilling.
To properly test their frequency and grade, three new holes were drilled at oblique northwest angles to “scissor” the existing holes:
- MWRC0025: 168m
- MWRC0026: 168m
- MWRC0027: 150m
The zone is worth the additional drilling focus. Previously reported intersections from Clifton East include:
The scissor-hole program builds directly on a series of prior Clifton East intersections, including the highest-grade gold result at Music Well recorded in earlier RC campaigns, which established the quartz-pyrite vein system as the primary mineralisation driver across the deposit.
- 11m @ 2.41g/t Au (MWRC0006, from 32m)
- 34m @ 0.83g/t Au (MWRC0010, from 38m)
- 8m @ 3.27g/t Au (MWRC0019, from 72m)
- 12m @ 0.94g/t Au (MWRC0015, from 39m)
All samples from the three scissor holes are now at Intertek Laboratory in Kalgoorlie, with assays expected mid to late October.
What is scissor drilling — and why does it matter for grade?
When initial drill holes are drilled in one direction, veins running sub-parallel to those holes can be missed or undersampled entirely. Scissor holes are drilled at an oblique angle to cut across those veins, properly testing their frequency and grade.
For investors, this technique directly tests whether higher-grade quartz vein zones exist between the known intersections. If confirmed, it represents a potential grade upgrade scenario for the Clifton East deposit.
St Patrick’s Well — the next drill target is carrying serious numbers
Once the one remaining Clifton East RC hole is completed, the rig moves to St Patrick’s Well, and the rock chip results over 600m of strike explain the anticipation:
- 30.4g/t Au (ARK0063)
- 20.4g/t Au (ARK0061)
- 21.7g/t Au (ARK0141)
These are rock chip samples, not drill intersections, but they are striking figures. Critically, the upcoming RC holes will be the company’s first RC drilling at St Patrick’s Well, a prospect where only limited historic shallow drilling has been conducted, meaning these holes represent a genuine discovery-style catalyst.
The structural geology adds further weight. St Patrick’s Well lies adjacent to the same major shear zone that hosts Clifton East mineralisation and the Celtic gold mine to the west of AUG tenure — a geological setting that has already proven capable of delivering economic gold.
Andrew Ford, GM Exploration, acknowledged the weather-driven interruption while signalling confidence in the program’s trajectory:
Andrew Ford, GM Exploration
“Nature is throwing up a few challenges at Music Well with 120mm of rain falling between early August and early September… The current RC program started well, and we hope to recommence drilling within the next fortnight.”
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Upcoming catalysts and the Music Well investment case
The near-term newsflow sequence for investors is clear:
- Site inspection — Monday next week
- Drilling recommencement — targeted within two weeks (weather dependent)
- Final Clifton East RC hole to be completed
- Rig moves to St Patrick’s Well for first-ever RC holes
- Assays from MWD0001 (diamond core) — expected within two weeks
- Clifton East RC assays — expected mid to late October
| Catalyst | Prospect | Type | Expected Timing | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MWD0001 diamond core assays | Clifton East | Assay results | ~2 weeks | Awaited |
| Drilling recommencement | Clifton East | RC drilling | ~2 weeks | Weather dependent |
| Final RC hole | Clifton East | RC drilling | On recommencement | Planned |
| First RC holes | St Patrick’s Well | RC drilling | Post-Clifton East | Planned |
| Clifton East RC assays | Clifton East | Assay results | Mid–late October | Samples submitted |
The project itself sits within a district with a gold endowment exceeding 28 million ounces. The 1,242km² Music Well Gold Project, 100% owned by Augustus, abuts active mining operations including the Darlot Gold Mine (~12km north), King of the Hills (~20km west), and Thunderbox (~20km west).
Music Well is the flagship near-term news driver for Augustus, which also holds the Ti-Tree project in the Gascoyne Region of WA and two PNG applications at Mt Kare and Vanapa River. With two assay windows approaching and St Patrick’s Well’s first-ever drill holes on deck, the coming weeks carry real news potential for the stock.
For investors wanting broader context on the company’s exploration portfolio, our dedicated guide to high-grade gold discoveries across Augustus’s Australian projects covers the Music Well and Ti-Tree programs alongside the structural geology settings that make each a priority target for the current drill campaign.
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