Resolution Minerals Hits 305m Gold Intercept at New Idaho Discovery

Resolution Minerals has now reported drill results from all three opening holes at Golden Gate South in Idaho, with every hole cutting gold mineralisation across a zone that had received no systematic drill testing ahead of the current campaign. The headline figure, announced on 28 August 2026, is 305.7 metres at 0.64 g/t gold from surface, and CEO of US Operations Craig Lindsay characterised the intercept as establishing discovery status for the zone.

The confirmation matters for two reasons arriving simultaneously. Golden Gate South extends the known mineralised system approximately two kilometres south of Golden Gate North, where prior drilling returned intercepts including 253 metres at 1.5 g/t Au and 197.5 metres at 1.26 g/t Au. And it arrives while Golden Gate holds FAST-41 federal permitting designation, secured on 17 July 2026, making the Horse Heaven Project one of very few early-stage mineral projects with dual FAST-41 coverage across both its gold and critical-minerals targets. The A$20 million institutional placement completed during the June 2026 quarter funds the 13,700 metre programme now underway.

Here is what the drill numbers actually show, what FAST-41 designation changes in practice for permitting risk, and which upcoming catalysts will determine whether this discovery converts into a formally defined resource.

Three holes, one verdict: Golden Gate South is a real discovery

The three 2026 holes at Golden Gate South build a progressively stronger case, and the numbers do the work themselves.

HH-GG26-001C returned 49.5 metres at 0.58 g/t Au from surface, including 24.64 metres at 0.78 g/t Au. It confirmed near-surface mineralisation at the South zone, though as a standalone result it would have been encouraging rather than conclusive.

HH-GG26-002C stepped the confidence up. It delivered 87.87 metres at 0.52 g/t Au from approximately 49 metres, including 37.42 metres at 0.72 g/t Au, alongside a separate 32.6 metres at 0.49 g/t Au from surface. Two distinct mineralised zones in one hole, both starting near surface.

Then came HH-GG26-003C: 305.7 metres at 0.64 g/t Au from surface, with mineralisation running continuously from the collar to the base of the hole. Embedded within that envelope sit higher-grade lenses of 6.5 metres at 1.33 g/t Au from 62 metres and 17.25 metres at 1.19 g/t Au from 264.85 metres.

That continuous 305.7 metre intercept from surface is not just the headline number. Mineralisation running from the collar to the bottom of the hole, with higher-grade lenses embedded at intervals, points toward bulk-tonnage open-pit geometry, the kind of deposit where a grade of 0.64 g/t Au across hundreds of metres becomes economically relevant rather than marginal.

Craig Lindsay, CEO of US Operations, characterised the 305.7 metre intercept as confirming discovery status for Golden Gate South, a zone that had not been systematically drilled before the current campaign.

How the 2025 discovery hole set the stage

Golden Gate South was not entirely blind. A single 2025 hole, HH-GG25-009C, returned 172.2 metres at 0.463 g/t Au from surface, including 27.6 metres at 0.89 g/t Au. That result opened the South zone as a viable target but stood alone, a single data point that invited follow-up rather than supporting conclusions. The 2026 three-hole programme is the systematic campaign that result called for, and all three holes have now delivered.

What a 2 km southern extension means for the scale picture at Golden Gate

Golden Gate North already held attention. The strongest intercepts from the North zone sit among the broadest near-surface gold results in the current Idaho exploration cycle:

• 253 metres at 1.5 g/t Au (near surface, open at depth)
• 197.5 metres at 1.26 g/t Au (near surface, open at depth)
• 265.2 metres at 0.6 g/t Au (near surface, open at depth)
• 240.8 metres at 0.64 g/t Au (near surface, open at depth)

Those numbers define one end of the system. Golden Gate South, with its 305.7 metres at 0.64 g/t Au from surface, now anchors the other end, roughly two kilometres to the south.

What sits between those two anchors is a mineralised corridor with broad, near-surface gold intercepts at both ends, grades consistent with global open-pit economics at both ends, and open potential at depth at both ends. The resource estimation phase, when it arrives, will be defining the minimum size of a system that already demonstrates continuity across more than two kilometres of strike, rather than searching for whether a resource exists at all. That distinction shapes how you assess risk.

Programme progress and what remains to be drilled

As of late August 2026, 33 diamond holes totalling approximately 9,700 metres have been completed at Golden Gate. Drilling targets strike extensions, the corridor between North and South, and depth potential. The programme runs to mid-September 2026, and assay results for holes completed after the 28 August update remain pending. The full 13,700 metre campaign of up to 45 holes is designed for resource definition.

Dual FAST-41 coverage: what federal prioritisation actually changes for investors

FAST-41 designation does not guarantee that a project will receive environmental or regulatory approval. That distinction matters, because the benefit it does provide is specific rather than sweeping.

FAST-41 Transparency Coverage is a US federal framework that places qualifying projects within a defined review timeline, with enhanced coordination between agencies and public tracking of permitting milestones. Projects receive designation when federal agencies recognise them as nationally significant. It compresses the uncertainty around how long permitting will take and how many agencies will be pulling in different directions, but it does not pre-empt the outcome.

Resolution Minerals now holds dual FAST-41 coverage across both primary Horse Heaven targets. Antimony Ridge received its designation in April 2026. Golden Gate followed on 17 July 2026. Having both the gold target and the critical-minerals target covered under a single federal framework is uncommon, and it signals that federal agencies view the project as strategically relevant across multiple commodity categories.

The critical-minerals case underpins that recognition:

• Antimony Ridge surface samples have returned antimony grades as high as 48.7% Sb in rockchip assays, alongside high silver grades
• Tungsten has been confirmed via UV logging in all logged Golden Gate holes, with assay intervals including 21 metres at 0.06% W and 8 metres at 0.14% W
• Both antimony and tungsten sit on the US critical minerals list with direct defence applications

Craig Lindsay indicated the second FAST-41 designation reinforces the project’s strategic relevance at the federal level, with Horse Heaven positioned to supply domestically sourced critical minerals for the US defence sector.

Federal permitting risk is historically one of the largest discount factors applied to North American mining projects. Dual FAST-41 coverage does not eliminate that risk, but it compresses the uncertainty range in a way that non-designated projects cannot match. For investors assessing early-stage resource projects, permitting certainty often carries as much weight as the drill results themselves.

Capital position, metallurgical progress, and what comes next

The operational scaffolding is in place. The A$20 million institutional placement, which closed during the June 2026 quarter with strong institutional support, underpins the capital base for the 13,700 metre resource-definition campaign now underway. The placement funded the resource-definition campaign now underway rather than proof-of-concept exploration, a stage distinction that reflects the maturity of the Golden Gate target.

Metallurgical testwork completed during the same quarter produced results described as strongly positive. However, detailed data covering gold recoveries, processing routes, reagent consumption, and deleterious element characterisation has not been publicly released. That gap matters. Drill results define the geometry of a deposit; metallurgical data defines its economics. Until recoveries and processing costs are in hand, the project cannot be properly valued, and this is the single most important information gap for investors right now.

The catalyst sequence that matters most

The specific milestones ahead will determine whether the current discovery translates into a formally defined, fundable resource project:

1. Additional Golden Gate South and along-strike assay results: Will the system hold grade and width between North and South, and beyond the currently drilled extent?
2. Maiden resource estimate: A first formal resource integrating North and South will test whether the system supports economically meaningful tonnage at workable grades, a formal statement under JORC (the Australian standard for reporting mineral resources) or NI 43-101 (the Canadian equivalent).
3. Detailed metallurgical data release: Published recoveries and processing options will determine whether the geology can be converted into viable economics.
4. FAST-41 permitting milestone updates: Progress on federal and state-level permitting timelines will signal how quickly exploration could transition toward development.
5. Strategic partnership or offtake discussions: Any engagement with US government agencies or defence-sector counterparties around antimony and tungsten supply could validate the domestic supply chain positioning and de-risk future financing.

Each catalyst answers a specific question. Together, they define the de-risking trajectory from discovery to development.

Discovery confirmed, but the variables that will define its scale are still incoming

The 28 August 2026 update has moved several things from speculation to established fact:

Confirmed:

• A genuine near-surface gold discovery at Golden Gate South, with three holes returning mineralisation
• A mineralised system extending at least two kilometres of strike, with broad, near-surface intercepts at both ends
• Dual FAST-41 federal permitting coverage across Golden Gate and Antimony Ridge
• A fully funded 13,700 metre resource-definition programme, with 33 holes completed to date

Pending:

• No JORC or NI 43-101 resource estimate has been published; all scale discussions remain conceptual
• Detailed metallurgical economics are unquantified pending data release
• FAST-41 designation does not guarantee regulatory approval
• Assay results for holes completed after 28 August are outstanding, with the programme running to mid-September 2026

The confirmed discovery at Golden Gate South moves Horse Heaven from speculative exploration to early resource definition. The gap between those two stages is where most project risk lives, and it is precisely where the project stands today. The maiden resource estimate and detailed metallurgical results are the next genuine de-risking events that will determine whether a confirmed discovery converts to a fundable, formally defined asset.

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Investors should conduct their own research and consult with financial professionals before making investment decisions. These statements are speculative and subject to change based on market developments and company performance.