Kalgoorlie Gold Mining Hits Record 19.7g/t Gold at Lighthorse as Larger System Emerges
Key Takeaways
- The 19-hole, 3,194m RC programme at Lighthorse delivered the two highest-grade individual assay results ever recorded at the prospect — 19.70 g/t Au and 16.50 g/t Au — setting a new benchmark for the deposit.
- A second, distinct supergene blanket has been identified in the northern Lighthorse area beneath just 25–40m of transported cover, opening a new near-surface, potentially open-pittable gold target separate from the southern discovery zone.
- Every hole drilled into the MMC geophysical ridge has intersected gold mineralisation, and the ridge appears offset to the east north of KGRC26033 — a priority target for the next drill programme.
- Broad dispersed intercept swarms across 36–54m downhole widths in multiple holes are interpreted by KalGold geologists as potentially peripheral to a larger concealed gold system beneath cover.
- Lighthorse sits within the 30 Moz Laverton Tectonic Zone, 25km north along strike from Ramelius Resources' Rebecca Gold Project, which has a definitive feasibility study targeting mining commencement in the December 2027 quarter.
RC drilling at Lighthorse delivers record-grade gold and new targets
Kalgoorlie Gold Mining (ASX: KAL) has completed a 19-hole, 3,194m RC drill programme at the Lighthorse prospect within its Pinjin Gold Project, located approximately 140km northeast of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The programme returned the two highest-grade individual assay results recorded at Lighthorse to date: 19.70 g/t Au (KGRC26036, 145–146m) and 16.50 g/t Au (KGRC26025, 55–56m).
These results add weight to KalGold’s view that the broader Pinjin area has the potential to host a concealed goldfield or gold camp, and systematic exploration is continuing to build the case.
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Standout intercepts from the drill programme
Significant gold intercepts were returned in nearly all holes across the programme, with vein and shear-hosted mineralisation zones up to 27m thick from shallow depths. The headline results from the programme include:
- KGRC26036: 3m at 9.01 g/t Au from 145m, including 2m at 12.69 g/t Au from 145m, within a broader mineralised envelope of 22m at 1.58 g/t Au from 145m
- KGRC26025: 6m at 4.86 g/t Au from 54m, including 3m at 8.82 g/t Au from 55m
- KGRC26029: 5m at 1.74 g/t Au from 54m, including 3m at 2.34 g/t Au from 55m (within a broader envelope of 11m at 1.01 g/t Au from 54m), and 8m at 2.77 g/t Au from 94m, including 4m at 4.40 g/t Au from 95m (within a broader envelope of 12m at 1.96 g/t Au from 94m)
- KGRC26038: 5m at 2.91 g/t Au from 101m, including 2m at 6.06 g/t Au from 101m
Key intercepts summary
| Drill Hole | From (m) | Interval (m) | Grade (g/t Au) | Notable High-Grade “Including” |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KGRC26036 | 145m | 3m | 9.01 g/t Au | 2m at 12.69 g/t Au from 145m (within 22m at 1.58 g/t Au) |
| KGRC26025 | 54m | 6m | 4.86 g/t Au | 3m at 8.82 g/t Au from 55m |
| KGRC26029 | 94m | 8m | 2.77 g/t Au | 4m at 4.40 g/t Au from 95m |
| KGRC26038 | 101m | 5m | 2.91 g/t Au | 2m at 6.06 g/t Au from 101m |
The geology behind the grades — what Archaean orogenic gold systems mean for investors
An Archaean orogenic gold deposit is a style of mineralisation formed during ancient mountain-building events, where gold-bearing fluids migrated along deep crustal fault systems and precipitated gold in shear zones and quartz veins. It is the same broad deposit style responsible for some of Australia’s largest gold mines, including operations along the Laverton Tectonic Zone (LTZ), the major crustal structure that hosts the Pinjin project.
Complicating things in a good way is the presence of what geologists call a supergene blanket. This forms when primary gold mineralisation near the surface is oxidised and chemically remobilised during weathering, with gold re-precipitating at a chemically stable horizon in the regolith, often near the water table. The practical implication for investors is that supergene blankets can deliver near-surface, potentially lower-cost gold that is amenable to open-pit extraction.
Recent drilling in the northern Lighthorse area has now revealed a second, distinct supergene blanket, located beneath 25–40m of transported cover and spatially separated from the well-defined blanket in the southern discovery area.
The northern programme also produced clusters, or swarms, of gold intercepts spread across broad downhole widths. In KGRC26032, for example, dispersed intercepts over 54m between 39m and 193m downhole averaged 1.17 g/t Au per mineralised interval. Similar patterns appeared in KGRC26036 (41m of dispersed intercepts averaging 1.07 g/t Au) and KGRC26030 (36m averaging 1.11 g/t Au). KalGold geologists, drawing on experience at large to giant gold mines in Australia, Tanzania, and Senegal, interpret these dispersed swarms as potentially peripheral to a more significant gold system concealed beneath cover. Further drilling will be required to test that interpretation.
A strong geophysical signal guides the drill bit
Every hole drilled into the north-south magnetometric conductivity (MMC) ridge, defined by KalGold’s 2025 Sub-Audio Magnetic (SAM) geophysical survey, has intersected gold mineralisation. KalGold interprets the MMC anomaly as the combined response of extensive sulphide mineralisation, sericitic alteration, and sheared ultramafic and intermediate rocks — effectively a geophysical fingerprint for the ore system beneath cover.
The MMC ridge appears offset to the east north of drill hole KGRC26033. Future drilling will directly test this offset ridge, with particular focus on its eastern flank, the position most analogous to the main Lighthorse gold mineralised zone to the south.
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What comes next — targets in the pipeline
Dr Matt Painter, Managing Director and CEO
“We are very pleased with the results of our RC drilling at Lighthorse, which continue to define and expand primary and secondary gold mineralisation. This program has delivered thick mineralised intercepts from shallow levels and has returned the highest-grade gold result recorded at Lighthorse to date. Multiple geological features point toward something more substantial beneath cover, including gold mineralisation remaining open on most sections, broad clusters of mineralised veining and shearing that may represent the periphery of a larger system, and the development of a second supergene blanket in the northern Lighthorse area from around 25m below surface. These results are highly encouraging. Planning is already underway to drill test this series of newly defined targets and further evaluate the potential of the Lighthorse mineral system.”
KalGold’s near-term exploration pipeline spans multiple fronts across the Pinjin project:
- Follow-up RC drilling of newly defined targets at Lighthorse, covering both the northern and southern areas
- Pending aircore results over the Laverton Tectonic Zone Flexure target, southeast of Kirgella Gift and Providence
- First-pass aircore programme northeast of the Flexure area, targeting the under-explored Rebecca sequence, planned for late September / early October
- Further aircore drilling between Lighthorse and T15 to the south
- RC testing of the offset MMC ridge north of Lighthorse
For context on the broader project, KalGold’s existing JORC Code (2012) Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate at Kirgella Gift and Providence stands at 2.34 Mt at 1.0 g/t Au for 76,400 oz. Lighthorse sits 12km northwest of those deposits and represents a separate, emerging target within the Pinjin project.
The strategic location of Pinjin adds further weight to the programme. The project sits within the 30 Moz Laverton Tectonic Zone, approximately 25km north along strike from Ramelius Resources’ (ASX: RMS) Rebecca Gold Project, where a definitive feasibility study has outlined the commencement of mining activities in the December 2027 quarter. That neighbourhood context does not redefine KalGold’s position, but it does confirm the geological prospectivity of the corridor in which Lighthorse sits.
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