Saturn Metals Extends Apollo Hill Gold System 1km Beyond 2.83Moz Resource
Key Takeaways
- First-pass step-out drilling has confirmed gold mineralisation extending at least 1km north of Apollo Hill's existing 2.83Moz Mineral Resource, growing the interpreted system length from 3km to 4km.
- Standout intercepts from the northern extension include 5m @ 11.26g/t Au, 6m @ 3.23g/t Au at 324m depth, and a diamond hole returning 0.4m @ 14.25g/t Au in association with visible gold.
- A 50-hole, 10,000m RC infill program is already underway — not planned — targeting the shallow near-surface footprint to support a Mineral Resource update in the coming months.
- The existing Ore Reserve of 104.6Mt @ 0.47g/t Au for 1.586Moz was established through a December 2025 Pre-Feasibility Study, giving the project meaningful development credibility before this extension result.
- Apollo Hill is positioned as a large-tonnage, low strip ratio open-pit heap leach project 60km south-east of Leonora, WA — near-surface ounces added by the northern extension carry direct economic weight, not just resource size.
Apollo Hill gold system extends 1km north in major step-out result
First-pass step-out drilling at Saturn Metals’ Apollo Hill Gold Project has confirmed that the gold-bearing system extends at least 1km north of the existing 2.83 million ounce (Moz) Mineral Resource, opening a significant new growth front for the company.
The drilling, completed on wide-spaced 400m, 200m and 100m sections, incorporated 103 Aircore (AC) holes (10,029m), 33 Reverse Circulation (RC) holes (8,272m), and 13 Diamond Drilling (DD) holes (2,455.7m). With the gold system now interpreted as 4km long (up from 3km), Saturn has already launched a 50-hole, 10,000m RC in-fill program to follow up on these results.
The current Mineral Resource, published 3 June 2026, stands at 174Mt @ 0.51g/t Au for 2.83Moz. These step-out results signal the system may be considerably larger.
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Standout intercepts from “The North”
The northern extension returned a range of compelling results across all three drill types. Key intercepts include:
- 5m @ 11.26g/t Au from 49m — AHRC1698 (RC) — logged in alluvial gravels at the interface with underlying bedrock, potentially representing deep-lead alluvial or bedrock-interface mineralisation
- 6m @ 3.23g/t Au from 324m — AHRC1676 (RC) — confirms depth continuity within the northern extension
- 11m @ 1.05g/t Au from 297m — AHRC1670 (RC)
- 7m @ 1.53g/t Au from 84m — AHRC1675 (RC)
- 12m @ 0.95g/t Au from 24m — AHAC2714 (AC)
- 24m @ 0.55g/t Au from surface (0m) — AHAC3156 (AC) — shallow, from-surface mineralisation
- 0.4m @ 14.25g/t Au from 97.75m — AHDD0145 (DD) — returned in association with visible gold
- 7.5m @ 3.41g/t Au from 30.5m including 1.5m @ 16.48g/t Au from 32m — AHDD0103 (DD)
- 41m @ 0.37g/t Au from 35m including 5m @ 0.91g/t Au from 63m — AHDD0127 (DD) — a broad zone of bulk mineralisation
In addition, in-fill drilling along the Iris trend returned further encouraging results:
- 8m @ 2.98g/t Au from 98m — AHDD0084 (DD)
- 30.5m @ 0.83g/t Au from 13.5m including 5m @ 1.83g/t Au from 16.5m — AHDD0083 (DD)
These Iris results highlight additional opportunity along this prospective footwall position as in-fill and extensional drilling continues.
Visible gold and high-grade targets add upside optionality
The 0.4m @ 14.25g/t Au intercept in AHDD0145 was returned in association with visible gold within a mineralised quartz vein. This diamond hole was drilled in the same area as a previously reported high-grade RC intersection of 4m @ 70.03g/t Au from 53m including 1m @ 277.0g/t Au from 55m in hole AHRC1581 (reported 8 April 2026). Beyond the high-grade intercept itself, the new diamond hole provided high-quality geological information for ongoing targeting in this area.
The 277g/t bonanza intercept from hole AHRC1581 established the high-grade potential of this corridor and has since guided targeting decisions for the diamond program, including the placement of AHDD0145 to follow up on that result.
What is step-out drilling and why does 1km matter?
Step-out drilling tests the outer edges of a known mineralised system rather than filling in the gaps between existing holes. It answers the question: does the gold continue beyond what has already been modelled?
When step-out drilling confirms mineralisation 1km beyond an existing 2.83Moz resource boundary, it tells you the system is open and likely larger than currently estimated. Wide-spaced first-pass drilling on 400m, 200m and 100m sections is deliberately broad. It is designed to establish the footprint quickly, not to produce a resource-ready dataset. In-fill drilling then tightens the grid to the spacing required for Mineral Resource estimation.
That in-fill phase is now underway at Apollo Hill. The 50-hole, 10,000m RC program is specifically designed to generate the drill density needed to support a Mineral Resource update.
Shallow, near-surface mineralisation carries particular weight here. In an open-pit heap leach operation, material that sits close to surface is typically cheaper to mine and process. Apollo Hill is positioned as a large tonnage, low strip ratio open-pit heap leach project, which means adding ounces near surface is not just about size. It is about adding economically attractive ounces. The depth and geometry of the northern extension mineralisation will become clearer as in-fill results come through.
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What comes next for Saturn Metals
The in-fill drill program is not a future plan. It is already running. The 50-hole, 10,000m RC program is targeting expansion of the shallow near-surface Mineral Resource footprint, with a Mineral Resource update planned for the coming months.
The project sits approximately 60km south-east of Leonora, WA, surrounded by established gold infrastructure. Apollo Hill carries an existing Ore Reserve of 104.6Mt @ 0.47g/t Au for 1.586Moz, established through the December 2025 Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS), which confirms the project has already reached a meaningful level of development credibility.
Ian Bamborough, Managing Director, Saturn Metals
“This represents our first major step-out to test the growth potential to the north of Apollo Hill. Our recent resource upgrade and geological interpretation highlighted a clear opportunity to extend the system to the north, and this first-pass drilling has intersected gold mineralisation up to 1km beyond the current 2.83Moz Resource. Importantly, we are seeing both broad zones of mineralisation and discrete high-grade zones across this northern extension, reinforcing our view that Apollo Hill has the potential to grow into a much larger, laterally extensive gold system. In-fill drilling is already underway with a 50-hole 10,000m RC drill program to support a Mineral Resource upgrade planned for the coming months.”
Apollo Hill at a glance — resource and reserve summary
| Classification | Tonnes (Mt) | Grade (g/t Au) | Gold (koz) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral Resource — Grand Total | 174 | 0.51 | 2,830 | Published 3 June 2026 |
| Ore Reserve — Grand Total | 104.6 | 0.47 | 1,586 | Published 17 December 2025 (PFS) |
The Mineral Resource comprises Measured, Indicated and Inferred classifications. The Ore Reserve comprises Proven and Probable classifications. Both figures are sourced directly from Saturn Metals’ ASX appendices and remain subject to the competent person statements included in the original announcements.
With in-fill drilling now active and a Mineral Resource update anticipated in the coming months, the northern extension results set up what could be a material re-rating event for the project. The key question for investors is how much of the new mineralised footprint converts into resource-quality ounces once the drill grid tightens.
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