Yandal Resources Hits Record High-Grade Gold at Arrakis Discovery
Yandal Resources (ASX: YRL) has released a comprehensive exploration update confirming meaningful progress across three active programmes within the Ironstone Well-Barwidgee (IWB) Gold Project in Western Australia's northern Yandal Greenstone Belt. This Yandal Resources Arrakis and Flushing Meadows gold exploration update presents a company with multiple active drills turning and a growing body of results to absorb — the kind of moment that often precedes a step-change in understanding a mineralised system.
New assay results from the Arrakis gold discovery continue to reinforce high-grade continuity. Furthermore, geological observations from the first-ever systematic diamond drilling programme below the Flushing Meadows deposit point to potentially significant upside. A 10,000-metre air-core programme has also commenced across the broader Flushing Meadows and Giedi Prime target areas.
RC drilling at the Arrakis discovery remains the headline event in this update. The current programme was designed around two objectives: extend the mineralised structure south-east through a zone of structural complexity, and infill drill within the known system to define the geometry of higher-grade gold domains.
The most recent assay results from the extensional programme and the targeted infill programme at the 6,250mN line are now in. Here is a summary of the key intercepts:
Extensional RC Drilling — Key Intercepts
| Hole ID | From (m) | Interval (m) | Grade (g/t Au) | ETW | Sub-interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26IWBRC0069 | 206 | 13 | 1.6 | 11m | 8m @ 2.2 g/t Au from 210m |
| 26IWBRC0100 | 84 | 11 | 1.7 | 10m | 6m @ 2.8 g/t Au from 84m |
| 26IWBRC0089 | 214 | 3 | 1.2 | — | — |
Targeted Infill RC Drilling — 6,250mN Line
| Hole ID | From (m) | Interval (m) | Grade (g/t Au) | ETW | Notable Sub-interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26IWBRC0102 | 236 | 11 | 1.3 | 10m | 2m @ 3.2 g/t Au from 245m |
| 26IWBRC0091 | 29 | 4 | 2.1 | 3m | 1m @ 5.6 g/t Au from 29m |
| 26IWBRC0093 | 93 | 5 | 1.2 | 4m | 2m @ 2.0 g/t Au from 96m |
The completion of the 6,050mN section is particularly significant. Combined with previously reported intercepts from that section — including 27m @ 1.2 g/t Au from 87m (with a 2m sub-interval of 5.1 g/t Au) and 12m @ 2.3 g/t Au from 152m (with a 6m sub-interval at 3.7 g/t Au) — a picture of consistent geometry and a persistent higher-grade zone emerges.
Yandal's geological interpretation identifies a higher-grade domain (>2.0 g/t Au) associated with the eastern or hanging-wall margin of the mineralised zone. This domain appears to strike over approximately 150 metres and carries a sub-vertical plunge. Critically, this domain remains open at depth.
Managing Director Chris Oorschot commented: "RC results from within the currently defined extents of the Arrakis mineralised system are beginning to define several potential high-grade trends. We have to refine this further as more results are received over the coming month. Understanding the geometry of high-grade mineralisation will be critical for developing deeper exploration targets."
Perhaps the most strategically important development in this Yandal Resources Arrakis and Flushing Meadows gold exploration update is the identification of comparable stratigraphy on the south-east side of the Scytale Shear Zone. This is a north-south trending structural feature confirmed earlier in the programme to be offsetting the primary Arrakis host sequence.
Results from the 5,950mN and 5,850mN lines confirmed no significant mineralisation directly along strike of the primary Arrakis structure, consistent with visual observations pointing to an offsetting structure. RC drilling across four 200m-spaced lines targeting the interpreted offset position has now visually confirmed:
Assays from this drilling have been prioritised at the laboratory, with results expected within the coming weeks. This represents the first geological validation of the modelled offset. If assays confirm gold mineralisation, the effective footprint of the Arrakis system could grow considerably.
Flushing Meadows hosts a JORC 2012 Mineral Resource Estimate of 268,000 oz at 1.1 g/t Au and has been known primarily as a shallow, strike-extensive system spanning over 1.9km at surface. However, until now, no systematic drilling had been completed below the MRE to test what lies beneath in fresh rock.
Six of eight planned diamond holes — spaced 200 metres apart along 1.6km of strike — have now been completed, representing approximately 2,750 metres of combined RC pre-collar and diamond drilling to around 100 metres below the fresh rock boundary. All six holes have successfully intersected the down-dip continuation of the Flushing Meadows mineralised structures.
What has stood out in geological logging from the first completed hole (26IWBRC0095D) is the identification of multiple parallel structures of interest in both the footwall and hanging wall of the known mineralised trend. The geological summary identified six discrete zones of deformation and alteration, spanning intervals from approximately 15 to 41 metres down-dip.
Geological Summary — Key Zones from 26IWBRC0095D
| Zone | Interval (m) | Key Observations |
|---|---|---|
| A | 15.7 | Sheared mafic with deformed iron-rich sediments; pyrrhotite, pyrite, trace arsenopyrite; possible porphyry |
| B | 14.8 | Heavily deformed iron-rich sediments; primary sulphide fabrics; quartz-rich fault zone |
| C | 41.4 | Sheared mafic with three felsic porphyry dykes; brecciation, silica alteration, disseminated sulphides |
| D | 30.9 | Mafic mylonite, heavily deformed porphyry; quartz-carbonate-pyrite veins |
| E | 11.0 | Mafic breccia with pyrite and pyrrhotite; sericite-altered dolerite with pyrite veinlets |
| F | 8.9 | Sheared mafic with deformed felsic porphyry; disseminated sulphides |
Samples from 26IWBRC0095D have been dispatched to the laboratory on a priority basis, with results expected in two to three weeks.
Oorschot noted: "Geological observation from the first six diamond holes indicates that there is potential for numerous sub-parallel mineralised structures both in the hanging-wall and footwall of the currently defined Flushing Meadows deposit. Significantly, these positions have not been tested near surface and offer a significant opportunity to build on the current 268koz Mineral Resource should these logged intervals of deformation and alteration host significant gold mineralisation."
When a drill hole intersects a mineralised zone, the reported interval length is measured along the drill path — not across the true physical width of the ore body. Depending on the angle at which the drill hole crosses the mineralised structure, the reported intercept can be longer or shorter than the actual width of mineralisation in the ground.
Estimated True Width (ETW) is the geologist's estimate of the actual width of the mineralised zone, corrected for the drill angle relative to the structure. It provides a more accurate picture of what a mining scenario might actually look like.
At Arrakis, reported ETW values are typically running at around 70–90% of the down-hole interval length, indicating the drilling geometry is broadly orthogonal to the mineralised structure — a positive sign for confidence in the geological model.
Essential Mining and Geological Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| RC Drilling | Reverse Circulation drilling — a common exploration method using compressed air to return rock chips to surface for sampling |
| Diamond Drilling | Uses a rotating diamond-tipped bit to recover continuous cylindrical core for detailed geological study |
| MRE | Mineral Resource Estimate — a JORC-compliant estimate of mineralised material |
| ETW | Estimated True Width — the corrected true thickness of a mineralised interval |
| Hanging Wall / Footwall | Refers to the rock on either side of a mineralised structure (hanging wall is above; footwall is below) |
| Scytale Shear Zone | A north-south trending structural feature interpreted to offset the Arrakis host stratigraphy to the south-east |
| Porphyry | An igneous rock with coarse crystals in a finer-grained matrix; at Flushing Meadows, felsic porphyry dykes appear to be a key control on gold mineralisation |
The exploration schedule for the six-month period to September 2026 is active across all fronts. Near-term news flow is expected across three distinct target areas.
Arrakis Discovery
Flushing Meadows
New England Granite Target Area
This update does several things simultaneously for Yandal's investment narrative. Arrakis is maturing from a discovery into a system. Consistent high-grade zones across multiple sections, open-at-depth mineralisation, and a potential south-east extension through the Scytale offset all point toward a system that has not yet revealed its full extent.
In addition, Flushing Meadows has fresh upside that wasn't previously visible. The existing 268,000 oz MRE was built almost entirely from shallow drilling. The first diamond holes are intersecting targeted structures at depth, and geological observations point to additional parallel structures in both footwall and hanging wall that have never been drilled near surface.
Furthermore, the New England Granite target adds a third avenue of potential news flow, including high-grade results already in hand at Salusa and a fresh drilling programme pending.
Yandal's Total JORC Resource Base
| Project | Total Tonnes ('000) | Grade (g/t Au) | Total Au (oz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flushing Meadows (IWB) | 7,386 | 1.1 | 268,000 |
| Mt McClure (combined) | 3,369 | 1.7 | 182,200 |
| Grand Total | 10,755 | 1.3 | 450,200 |
This 450,200 oz resource base provides a meaningful foundation, while the active discovery pipeline at Arrakis and Siona has the potential to add materially to that figure as drilling advances.
The northern Yandal Greenstone Belt represents one of Western Australia's most productive gold regions. This geological formation consists of ancient volcanic and sedimentary rocks that have been folded, faulted, and mineralised over billions of years of geological activity.
Greenstone belts form when ancient ocean floor rocks are compressed and uplifted during mountain-building events. This process creates the structural controls and chemical conditions that concentrate gold into economically viable deposits. The combination of volcanic rocks, sedimentary layers, and intense deformation provides multiple opportunities for gold-bearing fluids to deposit their precious cargo.
The Yandal Belt has produced millions of ounces of gold from deposits like Jundee and Bronzewing. Yandal Resources' IWB Gold Project sits directly between these two major mining operations, suggesting the geological processes that created those deposits extended across the broader region.
Today's exploration techniques, moreover, allow geologists to see deeper and more precisely than previous generations. Advanced geophysical surveys can map buried rock structures, whilst improved drilling technology provides better sample quality and geological understanding. This creates opportunities to discover gold deposits that earlier explorers may have missed.
Yandal Resources sits in a compelling position: a company with an established resource base, two recent gold discoveries made within the past twelve months, and an exploration engine running across multiple fronts simultaneously.
Key reasons to follow YRL closely include:
This comprehensive Yandal Resources Arrakis and Flushing Meadows gold exploration update has positioned the company as a multi-target gold explorer in one of Western Australia's proven greenstone belts. With significant upside potential driven by the expanding Arrakis discovery, depth extensions at the 268koz Flushing Meadows deposit, and high-grade targets at the New England Granite, investors have a clear and near-term set of catalysts to monitor closely.
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