Golden Dragon Hits 6.98 g/t Gold Lode as Coodardy System Grows to 500m Strike
Key Takeaways
- RC drilling at Behring Bore confirmed a new high-grade quartz lode returning 4m @ 6.98 g/t Au from 36m in hole 26BB045, a result not anticipated by the existing geological model.
- Re-assaying of previous holes at 1m intervals revealed grades up to 1m @ 59.20 g/t Au and 1m @ 28.10 g/t Au at Coodardy — high-grade spikes that were invisible in the original composite assay data.
- Gold mineralisation at the Coodardy system is now defined over approximately 500m of strike, with both the Coodardy and Behring Bore prospects remaining open along strike and at depth.
- A larger RC rig has been mobilised for an approximately 2,500m programme targeting extensions at depth and testing whether the two prospects — separated by just 400m — form a single interconnected gold system.
- Pending tenement grants would give Golden Dragon control of approximately 619 km² in the Murchison Region, hosting over 50km of mineralised shear zones in the same district as Westgold's 2.3 Moz Big Bell operation.
New high-grade lode and expanding strike at Golden Dragon’s Coodardy gold system
RC drilling at Golden Dragon Mining’s Coodardy gold system in the Murchison Goldfields of Western Australia has returned a standout result of 4m @ 6.98 g/t Au from 36m (hole 26BB045), confirming a new high-grade quartz lode at the Behring Bore prospect. The result is part of a growing dual-prospect system, with gold mineralisation at Coodardy now defined over approximately 500m of strike and remaining open along strike and at depth at both prospects. A larger RC rig has been mobilised, with an approximately 2,500m drilling programme now underway.
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Recent drilling highlights across Behring Bore and Coodardy
The programme delivered significant intercepts across both prospects, alongside standout results from 1m resampling and re-assaying of previously reported drilling.
Recent drilling — Behring Bore:
- 4m @ 6.98 g/t Au from 36m (26BB045) — new high-grade quartz lode
- 8m @ 1.40 g/t Au from 100m (26BB047)
- 12m @ 0.63 g/t Au from 96m (26BB046)
Recent drilling — Coodardy:
- 8m @ 2.55 g/t Au from 36m including 4m @ 3.58 g/t Au (26CD031)
- 8m @ 1.01 g/t Au from 60m including 4m @ 1.59 g/t Au (26CD025)
- 16m @ 0.83 g/t Au from 52m (26CD029)
Re-assayed standouts (1m intervals) — both prospects:
- 6m @ 5.02 g/t Au from 28m including 1m @ 28.10 g/t Au (26CD012)
- 11m @ 6.42 g/t Au from 45m including 1m @ 59.20 g/t Au (26CD014)
- 7m @ 4.35 g/t Au from 44m including 1m @ 25.30 g/t Au (26BB012)
- 19m @ 1.72 g/t Au from 41m including 3m @ 7.42 g/t Au (26BB041)
The table below presents significant intersections from recent drilling at both prospects (4m composite assays, cut-off >0.2 g/t Au):
| Hole ID | From (m) | To (m) | Interval (m) | Au (g/t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26BB045 | 12 | 24 | 12 | 0.60 |
| 26BB045 incl. | 16 | 20 | 4 | 1.30 |
| 26BB045 | 36 | 44 | 8 | 3.64 |
| 26BB045 incl. | 36 | 40 | 4 | 6.98 |
| 26BB046 | 96 | 108 | 12 | 0.63 |
| 26BB047 | 100 | 108 | 8 | 1.40 |
| 26CD025 | 60 | 68 | 8 | 1.01 |
| 26CD025 incl. | 60 | 64 | 4 | 1.59 |
| 26CD029 | 52 | 68 | 16 | 0.83 |
| 26CD031 | 36 | 44 | 8 | 2.55 |
| 26CD031 incl. | 40 | 44 | 4 | 3.58 |
All intercepts are reported as downhole widths. True widths are not yet determined.
What makes these results geologically significant
The numbers alone tell part of the story. The geology behind them is what tells you whether this is an isolated hit or a system with room to grow.
Dolerite-hosted gold — a proven WA framework
Gold mineralisation at Behring Bore is hosted within the upper portion of an altered, pyritic quartz dolerite. Dolerite is an intrusive rock (solidified magma) that is a recognised host rock for significant gold mineralisation across Western Australia. At Behring Bore, a consistent correlation has been observed between higher-grade gold and increased alteration and sulphide intensity within the dolerite. In plain terms, the parts of the rock that have been most chemically changed and mineralised are also the parts carrying the highest gold grades. This gives the company a geological vector, meaning a reliable physical indicator that can guide where to drill next, rather than targeting broad areas and hoping for the best.
What “open along strike and at depth” means for investors
When geologists say mineralisation is “open,” they mean drilling has not yet found the edges of the gold-bearing zone. The system continues beyond the last hole drilled. At Coodardy, mineralisation is now defined over approximately 500m of strike (the horizontal length along which gold has been confirmed), yet the northeast-trending high-grade shoot remains substantially underdrilled, with the trend open to the north and south. At Behring Bore, the mineralised dolerite unit is open to the north, south, and east, with multiple drill lines ending in mineralisation rather than passing through it. For an early-stage explorer, “open” is exactly the word you want to see — it means the known system has room to expand with further drilling.
Managing Director’s comments
Simon Buswell-Smith, Managing Director
“…At Coodardy, the resampling and re-assaying of previous drilling has returned exceptional high-grade results, including 1m @ 59.20 g/t Au within 11m @ 6.42 g/t Au and 1m @ 28.10 g/t Au within 6m @ 5.02 g/t Au. The emergence and extension of the northeast-trending high-grade orientation, together with the mineralised system now extending over approximately 500 metres of strike, provides significant encouragement for further growth. Importantly, mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth at both prospects. We have now mobilised a larger RC rig to test these systems at depth, providing an important opportunity to test the potential for extensions of the high-grade mineralisation and expand the known mineralised envelopes…”
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What comes next — larger rig, deeper targets, two prospects
Golden Dragon is now drilling with a larger RC rig across both Behring Bore and Coodardy. The active programme targets extensions, continuity, and the scale of mineralisation at both prospects.
- An approximately 2,500m RC drilling programme is currently underway with the larger rig.
- At Behring Bore, drilling is focused on the eastern corridor where high-grade gold has been confirmed across multiple drill lines, targeting the east-dipping gold lodes within the altered, pyritic dolerite.
- At Coodardy, the primary target is the northeast-trending high-grade shoot, where re-assays confirmed 1m @ 59.20 g/t Au and 1m @ 28.10 g/t Au within that trend.
- The Coodardy trend is defined over approximately 500m of strike and remains open to the north and south.
- Behring Bore sits just 400m from Coodardy, and drilling will test the potential for a larger interconnected gold system connecting the two prospects.
The broader project context adds further scale to the picture. Following the successful grant of E20/1073 and the newly applied E20/1122, Golden Dragon would, pending those grants, secure control of an approximately 619 km² landholding in the Murchison Region. The project hosts over 50km of mineralised shear zones. The area sits in proximity to Westgold’s Big Bell operation, which carries a 2.3 Moz Au resource, providing regional context for the prospectivity of the district. Golden Dragon’s tenements are operated separately, and adjacency to Westgold’s operations reflects the broader endowment of the Murchison Goldfields rather than any direct resource connection.
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