Rox Resources Hits 12.10m at 13.36g/t Gold as United North Stope Planning Starts
Key Takeaways
- Rox Resources has completed preparation works for production stoping at United North and started stope planning on the 2356 and 2341mRL levels.
- Hole UNN26_038 returned 12.10m at 13.36g/t Au from 136.82m, including 7.53m at 20.86g/t Au, with host shear zones seen in every hole.
- The first two levels extend about 125m beyond the DFS mine plan, giving scope to run production ahead of the DFS schedule.
- The top six levels are drilled enough to support production planning, and the next four are infilled to 20m x 20m, with a 12-month drilling lead targeted by mid-CY2027.
- Northern ore drive assays and surface growth drilling results are still to come, and the 150,000ozpa goal is an aspiration with no production or funding figures behind it.
Stope planning underway at United North as infill drilling returns high-grade gold
Rox Resources (ASX: RXL) has commenced stope planning for the 2356 and 2341mRL levels at United North, with preparation works for production stoping now complete. The company also reported high-grade gold drilling results, led by 12.10m @ 13.36g/t Au from 136.82m (UNN26_038), including 7.53m @ 20.86g/t Au.
United North is part of the 100%-owned Youanmi Gold Mine in Western Australia. A stope is the underground void left once ore is mined out, so stope planning is the step where designs are drawn up for extraction.
For investors, the announcement points to a company moving from development towards production. The drilling is aimed at giving that move firmer geological footing.
Phill Wilding, Managing Director & CEO
“Preparation works for production stoping at United North are now complete, with the mining team progressing stope designs ahead of extraction. This marks an important milestone as we transition from development towards production at the high-grade United North area…”
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Thick, high-grade intercepts across United North
Underground diamond drilling at United North continues to return thick, high-grade gold intersections. Host shear zones were observed in all drill holes.
Headline drill results
The table below sets out the significant results reported. Grades are in grams per tonne of gold (g/t Au), and all widths are downhole widths.
| Hole ID | Interval | Grade (g/t Au) | From (m) | Including |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNN26_024 | 7.54m | 11.95 | 155.51 | 2.70m @ 23.60g/t Au from 156.70m |
| UNN26_031 | 22.34m | 3.37 | 170.00 | 3.30m @ 7.87g/t Au from 188.60m |
| UNN26_036 | 6.89m | 10.36 | 140.26 | 4.97m @ 12.34g/t Au from 140.26m |
| UNN26_038 | 12.10m | 13.36 | 136.82 | 7.53m @ 20.86g/t Au from 140.02m |
| UNN26_040 | 8.05m | 6.18 | 163.51 | 2.60m @ 12.58g/t Au from 164.12m |
| UNN26_021 | 19.77m | 2.49 | 108.40 | 6.91m @ 2.29g/t Au from 108.40m, and 6.26m @ 4.24g/t Au from 121.91m |
Thickness and grade together matter here. A wide intercept at a high grade, such as UNN26_038, carries far more gold per drill hole than a narrow one.
Diamond drilling remains on schedule, with 16 holes totalling 3,091.7m completed during September.
Why the consistency matters
Mr Wilding said the consistency of mineralisation continues to stand out. He said the company is seeing thick intercepts and high grades throughout the drilling.
The company says the results support confidence in the delivery of high-grade ounces from the Youanmi ore system. It also says they further support the initial production stopes within the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) mine plan.
Levels extend ~125m beyond the DFS mine plan
Final assays have been received and grade control modelling and estimation completed for the 2356 and 2341mRL levels. The results continue to confirm strike extensions of approximately 125m beyond the levels originally designed in the DFS.
The grade control model indicates additional mineralisation compared with the DFS mine plan. According to the company, this provides scope to maintain production at a rate ahead of the schedule contemplated in the DFS.
Phill Wilding, Managing Director & CEO
“The first two development levels have already extended approximately 125 metres each beyond the original DFS mine plan, providing access to additional high-grade mineralisation and supporting the potential for increased production from these levels.”
Progress across the upper levels of United North is as follows:
- The top six levels are now sufficiently drilled to support production planning and mine development
- The next four southern ore drive levels (2325, 2310, 2290 and 2285mRL) are now infilled to a nominal 20m x 20m spacing
- Ore interpretation and grade control modelling are underway for these four levels
- Assays remain outstanding for the northern ore drives, where drilling continues to infill to a nominal 20m x 20m spacing
Planning for first production stopes on the top two levels is progressing ahead of the original DFS mine plan.
Readers interested in how these production plans translate into returns can see our full explainer on the Youanmi project economics, which sets out the Definitive Feasibility Study assumptions that the United North mine plan is measured against.
What is grade control drilling and why does it matter?
Grade control drilling is infill drilling at close spacing, here a nominal 20m x 20m. It refines where ore sits before mining begins.
For investors, the value is in certainty. Tighter drilling gives a clearer picture of the orebody, which supports mine scheduling and more consistent ore delivery to the mill, according to the company.
The stated aim is that by mid-CY2027, United North is sufficiently infill drilled to maintain a 12-month drilling lead ahead of mining. The company says this will provide greater certainty around future mine production and scheduling.
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Next steps and the 150,000ozpa aspiration
Updated estimates for the next four levels are expected to further inform stope planning and production scheduling. Assay results for the northern ore drives are still to come.
Growth drilling from surface is advancing, with results to come. The announcement gives no timing for those results.
Management’s longer-term aspiration is to build Youanmi into a 150,000ozpa operation. That is an aspiration rather than a forecast, and the announcement provides no production or funding figures to support it.
For context, the Youanmi Gold Project hosts a global mineral resource of 12.4Mt at 5.5g/t for 2.2Moz of gold.
The latest results follow releases on 16 July, 17 August and 14 September 2026, which the company says the new results are consistent with in demonstrating the continuity, thickness and grade of mineralisation.
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