G11 Resources Adds Beatrice to Drill Plan Following Historic 5.5m Gold Intercept
Key Takeaways
- G11 will drill five diamond holes, each 500m to 1,000m deep, across a 1km strike length of the Itat Creek Fault at Beatrice, with a start expected in late November 2026.
- Historic hole MS11 returned 5.5m at 2.13 g/t gold, 28 g/t silver, 2.13% lead and 2.08% zinc from 58m, and no drilling has been done at Beatrice since Pasminco finished in 2000.
- Drilling approvals from Mineral Resources Tasmania are still awaited, so the November start is not locked in.
- Beatrice sits 3.5km from the Mt Lyell Mine deposits, and a thallium anomaly mirrors a targeting tool used at MMG's Rosebery mine.
- The historic data is not JORC 2012 compliant and no Mineral Resource exists at Beatrice, so the program is a genuine first test rather than a confirmation.
Beatrice prospect added to G11’s summer drill program
G11 Resources says first principles exploration work has defined new Tier 1 drill targets at the Beatrice prospect, which will now join the spring/summer drill program at the Sedgwick Bluff project (EL11/2025) in Tasmania. Drilling will also test the NE Pyrite and Zig Zag prospects.
The number driving the story is a historic result. Hole MS11 intersected 5.5m @ 2.13 g/t Au, 28 g/t Ag, 0.21% Cu, 2.13% Pb and 2.08% Zn from 58m, reported as a downhole width, with true width not known.
The proposed program includes five diamond holes testing a 1km strike length of the prospective Itat Creek Fault. Holes are planned at depths of 500m to 1,000m and are expected to commence in late November 2026. Drilling approvals from Mineral Resources Tasmania are still being awaited.
For investors, this is a target that has moved from desktop data review towards the drill bit. No drilling has been completed at Beatrice since Pasminco’s 1998 to 2000 program, so the target has sat untested for more than two decades.
Key facts at a glance:
- Location: Beatrice prospect, northern part of EL11/2025, western Tasmania
- Target type: Polymetallic (Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn) within the Cambrian Mount Read Volcanics
- Planned drilling: Five diamond holes, 500m to 1,000m deep
- Timing: Expected to commence late November 2026, with approvals still awaited
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Why does Beatrice look prospective?
Location and geology
Beatrice sits around 3.5km north-east of the Copper Chert and Queen Lyell deposits that form part of the Mt Lyell Mine. It lies within the Cambrian Mount Read Volcanics, along a NNE-trending fault corridor that G11 says provides potential pathways and traps for mineralising fluids.
Anomalous base metals coincide with a black shale unit along Itat Creek. A mapped mineral occurrence sits immediately north of the historic drilling.
Geochemistry and geophysics
Early soil, stream sediment and rock chip sampling returned anomalous zinc, lead, copper and silver. Later lithogeochemical work identified a thallium (Tl) anomaly, which G11 describes as a key targeting tool for the Rosebery polymetallic mine operated by MMG to the north.
The announcement is clear that nearby discoveries and geological similarities do not guarantee G11 will have similar success in delineating a JORC compliant Mineral Resource, if at all.
Gradient array, pole-dipole and dipole-dipole induced polarisation (IP) surveys defined chargeability anomalies that were targeted by historic drilling. Downhole electromagnetic (DHEM) and controlled source audio-frequency magnetotelluric (CSAMT) surveys were also completed.
What is a polymetallic target, and why does historic drilling matter?
A polymetallic target is one where several metals, here gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc, occur together. IP surveys measure how well rocks hold an electrical charge, and high chargeability can point to sulphide minerals that may be associated with mineralisation.
Re-examining old data can be a lower-cost way to define new drill targets, because the expensive fieldwork has already been done. The catch is that old results were not generated to modern standards, which is why the cautionary note below matters.
The Mount Read Volcanic belt hosts Mt Lyell (Cu, Au), Henty (Au), Rosebery and Hellyer (Zn, Pb, Cu, Ag, Au), and Renison Bell (Sn). G11 says the belt remains largely underexplored, predominantly due to access.
The company also notes that mining is the largest contributor to Tasmania’s GDP, and that Tasmania is powered 100% by renewable energy.
What does the historic drilling record show?
Thirteen diamond holes (MS1 to MS13) were drilled at Beatrice between 1969 and 2000. They targeted high chargeability IP anomalies and identified two main zones of elevated lead, zinc and silver with minor copper.
Pasminco considered the Itat Creek zone to have potential for a small resource. However, no Mineral Resource has been estimated at Beatrice, and there is no certainty that further exploration will result in one.
Selected intercepts from Table 2 of the announcement are shown below.
| Hole | From (m) | Interval (m) | Au (g/t) | Ag (g/t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS11 | 58.0 | 5.5 | 2.13 | 28 |
| MS11 | 150.1 | 1.6 | 0.15 | 57.7 |
| MS1 | 111.0 | 2.0 | 0.20 | 22.0 |
The MS11 intercept at 150.1m also returned 14.10% Pb and 5.02% Zn. Intercepts are reported at a 1% Pb+Zn or 0.5 g/t Au cut-off, as downhole widths with true widths not known.
The previous explorers were:
- Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company (1969 to 1980)
- BHP–RGC Joint Venture (1989 to 1997)
- Pasminco (1998 to 2000)
- Later work by Goldfields/Aurion, Bass Metals and Copper Mines of Tasmania, which did not include drilling at Beatrice
Cautionary statement
Historical assay data at Beatrice was not subject to modern quality assurance and quality control practices and is not JORC 2012 compliant. G11 has not independently validated the former owner’s Exploration Results, and the assays and drill intersections are regarded as indicative of Exploration Potential only.
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What are the next steps for G11?
G11 will refine drill targets while awaiting drilling approvals from Mineral Resources Tasmania. Drilling will focus on the area identified by MS11 and extend to test north and south.
The project is held on wholly owned tenements. The announcement states there are no encumbrances or royalties over the tenements, no native title is in place, and all tenements are in good standing.
The company said the combination of gold-silver-base metal mineralisation, a favourable volcanic host sequence and structural setting, and coincident historic geochemical and geophysical anomalism supports Beatrice as:
“a target for further exploration.”
The catalysts to watch are the drilling approvals, the expected late November 2026 drill start, and eventual assay results. The announcement does not disclose a timeline for assays.
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