New Murchison Gold Confirms High-Grade Gold Across All Lydia Deposits
Key Takeaways
- Standout intercepts from the Lydia Prospect include 2m at 24.36g/t Au and 3m at 14.53g/t Au — grades ten to twenty times the typical open-pit mining threshold — across all three sub-deposits at Lydia Main, Lydia South, and Lydia East.
- None of the newly reported drill holes are included in the existing Lydia Mineral Resource Estimate of 55,000oz at 1.78g/t Au, meaning the results are expected to lift both ounces and overall resource grade in future modelling.
- All three deposits remain open — Lydia Main down-plunge beyond 200m depth, Lydia South at its deeper northern position, and Lydia East along strike to the south-east — providing clear targets for extensional drilling.
- Lydia sits within Mining Lease M51/889 in close proximity to the Crown Prince Operations, which commenced production in September 2025, giving near-mine resource growth a materially faster and lower-cost pathway to potential production.
- A six-step work programme is underway covering infill drilling, step-out drilling, geotechnical diamond drilling, and hydrogeological modelling — all feeding directly into mining studies already in progress on all three deposits.
High-grade gold intercepts confirm Lydia’s quality at NMG’s doorstep
New Murchison Gold Limited (ASX: NMG) has released an exploration drilling update from its Lydia Gold Prospect, with standout intercepts confirming high-grade gold mineralisation across all three sub-deposits at the company’s doorstep. The Lydia prospect sits within Mining Lease M51/889, in close proximity to the Crown Prince Operations, and comprises three structurally controlled deposits — Lydia Main, Lydia South, and Lydia East — all currently the subject of mining studies.
The best intercepts from recent drilling include:
- 2m at 24.36g/t Au from 46m (incl. 1m at 47.20g/t Au) — NGGSRC1386
- 3m at 14.53g/t Au from 26m (incl. 1m at 37.40g/t Au) — NGGSRC1362
- 4m at 8.39g/t Au from 103m (incl. 1m at 20.80g/t Au) — LYRC003
- 2m at 7.50g/t Au from 137m (incl. 1m at 14.00g/t Au) — NGGRC1232
Alex Passmore, Chief Executive Officer
“These results confirm Lydia’s high-grade deposits sitting on our doorstep at Crown Prince Operations, standout hits such as 24.36g/t and 14.53g/t Au provide good scope for increasing the overall resource grade we currently have. Lydia Main is open at depth and both Lydia South and Lydia East are still open along strike and down dip with future extensional drilling to add to the inventory.”
When big ASX news breaks, our subscribers know first
What the gram-metre long sections reveal across three deposits
To better characterise the high-grade shoots at each deposit, NMG compiled gram-metre (Au g/t × m) long sections for Lydia Main, Lydia South, and Lydia East. Each section projects every reverse circulation (RC), slim reverse circulation (SRC), and diamond (DD) hole onto a best-fit plane through the lode, contouring total downhole gram-metres per hole to produce a single picture of where gold sits within the mineralised structure, how continuous it is, and where it remains open.
Lydia Main — open at depth and building upward
The Lydia Main long section covers approximately 430m along a 014° trend, with mineralisation traced from surface (approximately 481mRL) to approximately 275mRL, more than 200m below surface. The section defines a large, continuous high gram-metre core (20 to 50 g·m and above) between approximately 340mRL and 450mRL, including several pods above 50 g·m.
Near surface, Lydia Main hosts exceptional grades, including 6m at 142.33g/t Au from 7m in OGGRC266 (856 g·m). At depth, 5m at 3.76g/t Au from 216m in TGGRC033 sits below the main body of drilling, confirming Lydia Main remains open down-plunge. This is identified as a clear priority target for step-out drilling.
Lydia South — 250m of continuous shallow strike
The Lydia South long section shows a continuous, shallow mineralised zone over more than 250m of strike, lying between approximately 425mRL and 465mRL (approximately 15m to 55m below surface). The central high gram-metre shoot is anchored by NGGSRC1386 (2m at 24.36g/t Au from 46m, 49 g·m) and LSRC002 (5m at 5.41g/t Au from 26m, 27 g·m).
A second, deeper position to the north is defined by NGGRC1232 (2m at 7.50g/t Au from 137m), with a 5 to 10 g·m halo between approximately 310mRL and 390mRL. This deeper northern position is sparsely drilled and remains open, with a potential oblique lode at depth flagged for future testing.
Lydia East — shallow, high-grade, and open
The Lydia East long section confirms an approximately 150m long, near-surface, high-grade system dipping approximately 48° to the southwest, with mineralisation from surface (approximately 485mRL) to approximately 430mRL. Two distinct high-grade shoots are defined: a north-western shoot centred on NGGSRC1362 (3m at 14.53g/t Au from 26m, 44 g·m), and a south-eastern shoot anchored by NGGSRC1327 (12m at 3.19g/t Au from 20m, 39 g·m).
Very few holes have tested Lydia East below approximately 430mRL, meaning the system remains open at depth and along strike to the south-east. Its shallow, high-grade nature and proximity to the Crown Prince Operations make it an attractive near-term target.
| Deposit | Best Intercept | Depth Extent | Strike / Extent | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lydia Main | 6m at 142.33g/t Au from 7m (OGGRC266) | Surface to >200m below surface | ~430m along 014° trend | Open down-plunge |
| Lydia South | 2m at 24.36g/t Au from 46m (NGGSRC1386) | ~15m to 55m below surface | >250m of strike | Deeper northern position open; potential oblique lode |
| Lydia East | 3m at 14.53g/t Au from 26m (NGGSRC1362) | Surface to ~430mRL | ~150m long system | Open at depth and to south-east along strike |
Understanding high-grade gold in greenstone belts — why grade matters
When geologists report a result like 24.36g/t Au, they are saying that every tonne of rock mined from that interval contains approximately 24.36 grams of gold. For context, most open-pit gold mines operate profitably on grades of around 1–2g/t. A result of 24g/t is roughly ten to twenty times that threshold, which is why these intercepts attract attention.
Two phrases you will see throughout this announcement — “open at depth” and “open along strike” — are equally important. They mean drilling has not yet hit the boundary of the mineralisation in those directions. In practical terms, it signals that additional resource growth is possible with further drilling.
Gram-metre long sections are a tool geologists use to map where gold is concentrated within a mineralised structure. By multiplying grade (g/t) by width (metres) for each drill hole and contouring the results, they create a visual picture of gold distribution along a lode’s length and depth. The result identifies which zones carry the most gold and where the best drill targets sit.
Lydia sits within the Murchison goldfield, one of Western Australia’s most established gold-producing regions. High grades combined with open geometry at all three deposits give NMG a clear pathway to growing the Lydia resource inventory.
Feeding the resource: next steps and mining study pathway
A key disclosure in the announcement is that the drill holes reported here are not yet included in the existing Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for Lydia, which stands at 55,000oz at 1.78g/t Au as announced on 25 June 2026. The new results are expected to feed directly into future resource modelling, with potential to lift both ounces and overall resource grade.
The planned work programme across all three Lydia deposits includes:
- Infill drilling of high-grade shoots across Lydia Main, Lydia South, and Lydia East
- Step-out drilling of Lydia Main down-plunge (identified as the priority target)
- Testing the deeper northern position at Lydia South for the potential oblique lode
- Extensional drilling at Lydia East, targeting depth and south-east strike extensions
- Geotechnical work, including diamond drilling, to inform pit wall slope stability modelling
- Hydrogeological modelling following recent drilling, test pumping, and aquifer characterisation work
The results from this ongoing programme will feed directly into resource modelling and then the mining studies already underway on all three Lydia deposits.
Lydia’s proximity to the Crown Prince Operations is a material logistical advantage. Near-mine resource growth typically carries lower development cost and a faster pathway to potential production than a standalone discovery. NMG commenced production at Crown Prince in September 2025 and updated its Mineral Resource Estimate and Ore Reserve Estimate in December 2025, meaning Lydia sits alongside an active, operating gold mine.
Crown Prince drill results from NMG’s operating mine have themselves returned high-grade intercepts, reinforcing the broader case that the Abbotts Greenstone Belt hosts multiple quality gold shoots across the tenement package.
The next major ASX story will hit our subscribers first
About New Murchison Gold
New Murchison Gold Limited (ASX: NMG) is a mineral exploration and gold mining company operating in the Murchison goldfield near Meekatharra, Western Australia. The company’s Garden Gully Gold Project covers a 617km² tenure package across the Abbotts Greenstone Belt. The Crown Prince Gold Mine has been operational since September 2025, with multiple gold deposits along the belt. According to the announcement header, NMG has approximately 10,8754M shares on issue, a share price of $0.070, and a market capitalisation of $761 million — readers should verify these figures directly against the source announcement header panel, as they appear in a corporate panel rather than the body text.
Don’t Miss the Next ASX Gold Breakout
Get FREE breaking ASX gold news delivered to your inbox within minutes of release, complete with in-depth analysis. Join 30,000+ subscribers already staying ahead of the market with Big News Blast. Click the “Free Alerts” button at Discovery Alert to receive real-time alerts the moment high-grade gold news hits the ASX.