King River Resources Hits 79% Drill Success Rate With High-Grade Gold Near Surface
Key Takeaways
- King River Resources returned gold mineralisation in 15 of 19 Phase 1 RC holes at Mindoolah, a 79% hit rate using a 0.3 g/t gold cut-off — an exceptional result for a maiden program.
- Mineralisation averages just ~41m below surface across the project, a commercially significant depth that reduces future drilling costs and improves potential extraction economics.
- Bertram's delivered standout intercepts including 1m @ 13.59 g/t Au from 43m and 12m @ 1.10 g/t Au from 35m, confirming structural continuity below the existing pit along a northeast-trending quartz-vein system.
- Le Soleil's single Phase 1 hole returned 3m @ 4.70 g/t Au including 1m @ 10.70 g/t Au, stopped early at 42m due to swelling clays with the hole ending in mineralisation — the system remains open at depth.
- Phase 2 RC drilling is mobilising now with Jarahfire Drilling, with commencement scheduled for early October 2026, representing the next material information event for KRR investors.
Phase 1 RC drilling delivers 79% hit rate and high-grade gold at Mindoolah
King River Resources (ASX: KRR) has delivered a standout first-pass result from its Phase 1 reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Mindoolah Gold Project, approximately 70km north-west of Cue in the Murchison Province of Western Australia. The program returned significant gold intersections in 15 of 19 holes, a hit rate of approximately 79%, with mineralisation averaging just ~41m below surface. That shallowness matters: it signals lower future drilling costs and potential extraction economics. Phase 2 RC drilling is scheduled to commence in early October 2026, with Jarahfire Drilling scheduled to mobilise.
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High-grade intercepts confirmed at two key prospects
Bertram’s — continuity along a northeast-trending vein system
Phase 1 drilling at Bertram’s returned the strongest concentration of significant gold intersections from the program. Holes 26MD001 and 26MD007 were drilled from opposite sides of the Bertram’s pit and both intersected the same quartz-vein system adjacent to a northeast-trending intermediate dyke, confirming structural continuity below the existing pit.
Key intercepts from Bertram’s:
- 1m @ 13.59 g/t Au from 43m (26MD001)
- 12m @ 1.10 g/t Au from 35m (26MD021), including 1m @ 5.41 g/t Au
- 4m @ 1.62 g/t Au from 24m (26MD007), including 1m @ 4.85 g/t Au
The results demonstrate two distinct styles of gold mineralisation: discrete ultra-high-grade veins and broader mineralised halos within the granitic host. That combination supports both narrow high-grade and bulk-style potential within a single structural corridor.
Historical and recent surface sampling underlines the prospectivity of this trend:
- Historical grab sample: 20.73 g/t Au (MDS0228) from the same northeast-trending structure
- Recent grab sample: 3.06 g/t Au (GM003983) from the same trend
- Recent grab from a northeast-striking pink dyke: 22.6 g/t Au (GM003981); historical grab from that dyke: 40.23 g/t Au (MDS0225)
Hole 26MD021 targeted this separate pink dyke structure and intersected a broader mineralised interval of 12m @ 1.10 g/t Au from 35m, consistent with the interpretation that northeast-trending structures at Bertram’s acted as important pathways for hydrothermal fluid flow and gold localisation.
Le Soleil — high-grade hit beneath historical workings confirms a wider structural corridor
The single Phase 1 RC hole completed at Le Soleil is an equally compelling result, despite being stopped early at 42m due to swelling clays. The hole was originally planned to approximately 90m depth.
Key intercept from Le Soleil:
- 3m @ 4.70 g/t Au from 38m (26MD022), including 1m @ 10.70 g/t Au
Critically, the hole ended in mineralisation, meaning the system remains open at depth. Le Soleil is located within a pronounced zone of magnetic depletion identified in KRR’s recent high-resolution drone magnetic survey, and sits within an area of interpreted NNE-trending structural complexity where multiple structural trends appear to intersect. These are favourable conditions for focused deformation, alteration, and hydrothermal fluid flow.
[INSERT DATA TABLE HERE]
| Prospect | Hole ID | From (m) | Interval (m) | Grade (g/t Au) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Soleil | 26MD022 | 38 | 3 | 4.70 |
| Le Soleil (incl.) | 26MD022 | 38 | 1 | 10.70 |
| Bertram’s | 26MD001 | 43 | 1 | 13.59 |
| Bertram’s | 26MD021 | 35 | 12 | 1.10 |
| Bertram’s (incl.) | 26MD021 | 45 | 1 | 5.41 |
| Bertram’s | 26MD007 | 24 | 4 | 1.62 |
| Bertram’s (incl.) | 26MD007 | 25 | 1 | 4.85 |
Understanding RC drilling and what a 79% hit rate means for investors
Reverse circulation (RC) drilling is a fast, cost-effective method of extracting rock chip samples from underground. A drill rig pushes dual-wall rods into the earth, and compressed air forces rock cuttings back up through the inner tube to a cyclone at surface, where they are collected at 1m intervals for sampling and laboratory analysis. It gives geologists a continuous picture of the rock and mineralisation encountered at each depth.
A “hit rate” measures what proportion of holes returned mineralisation above a defined cut-off grade. Here, KRR used a 0.3 g/t gold cut-off, and 15 of 19 holes cleared that threshold. A 79% result on a maiden program is exceptional, and it tells you the geological targeting model is working.
The average depth of approximately 41m is a significant commercial signal. Shallower mineralisation generally means less drilling cost per metre of ore intercepted, and lower potential future extraction costs if a resource is eventually defined.
One further concept worth understanding: KRR used zones of magnetic depletion as a targeting vector. These are areas where the Earth’s magnetic signature is weaker than the surrounding rock, often because hydrothermal fluids have altered the host granite. Both Bertram’s and Le Soleil sit within such demagnetised zones, and the Phase 1 results confirm that this geophysical signature is a reliable guide to where gold mineralisation sits at Mindoolah.
A calibrated framework sets up Phase 2 drilling
Phase 1 has done more than return good numbers. It has validated a targeting model that KRR can now apply with confidence to the next round of drilling.
- Phase 1 confirmed a strong spatial correlation between high-grade gold, quartz-vein systems, and zones of magnetic depletion. This correlation becomes the primary targeting vector for Phase 2.
- Phase 2 RC drilling is scheduled to commence in early October 2026, with Jarahfire Drilling mobilising to site.
- The Phase 2 aeromagnetic survey has been rescheduled due to inclement weather affecting the survey aircraft and is now anticipated to commence at Mindoolah in mid-October 2026. The announcement confirms this revised timing will not impact the Phase 2 RC program commencement.
- Results from the aeromagnetic survey will subsequently be integrated into the structural interpretation to refine additional exploration targets beyond the current prospects.
The LiDAR survey at Mindoolah identified previously unrecorded historical workings and stockpile features across the project area, filling critical gaps in the surface record that informed where Phase 1 RC holes were prioritised.
[INSERT DIRECTOR QUOTE BLOCKQUOTE HERE]
Graham Gadsby, Managing Director
“Delivering a ~79% hit rate from our maiden Phase 1 RC program at Mindoolah is an exceptional outcome that strongly validates the geological and structural targeting model we have established. What makes these results particularly compelling is just how shallow this mineralisation is across the project.
At Bertram’s, drilling confirmed excellent continuity along the northeast-trending dyke and quartz-vein system. Returning shallow, high-grade intercepts such as 1m @ 13.59 g/t Au alongside broader intervals like 12m @ 1.10 g/t Au demonstrates that Mindoolah hosts both discrete, ultra-high-grade veins and broader mineralised halos within the granitic host.
Equally exciting is our single test hole at Le Soleil, which returned shallow gold of 3m @ 4.70 g/t Au including 1m @ 10.70 g/t Au right near the end of the hole before swelling clays forced an early stop at just 42m. Confirming mineralisation directly beneath historical workings in this pronounced, demagnetised corridor gives us immense confidence in the scale of this structural trend.
Importantly, these results establish a clear spatial correlation between high-grade gold, quartz-vein systems, and zones of magnetic depletion. With Phase 2 drilling mobilising this month, we now have a proven, calibrated framework to target the primary sources of mineralisation across Mindoolah.”
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What this means for King River Resources investors
Phase 1 at Mindoolah has achieved something meaningful beyond the individual intercepts: it has de-risked Phase 2 by providing a proven subsurface targeting model built on real drill data rather than surface sampling alone.
Two structurally distinct prospects, Bertram’s and Le Soleil, are showing high-grade gold via different host settings. That gives KRR multiple growth vectors within a single project, rather than dependence on a single target. The shallow average depth of mineralisation keeps exploration economics favourable as the program scales up.
Near-term catalysts are on the horizon. Phase 2 RC drilling is mobilising now, and results from that program will represent the next material information event for investors watching KRR. Mindoolah sits within the Murchison Province, a well-established gold region in Western Australia, which adds geological credibility to the project’s setting.
This remains an exploration-stage project. No resource has been defined, and true widths of intersections have not yet been determined. But the Phase 1 results provide a materially stronger foundation for Phase 2 than the company had when it put the first hole in the ground.
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