New Murchison Gold Limited (ASX: NMG) has reported a series of exceptional high-grade gold intercepts from shallow grade control drilling at its flagship Crown Prince Gold Project, part of the 100 per cent-owned Garden Gully Gold Project near Meekatharra, Western Australia.
The results, focused on the lateritic caprock zone targeted for early-stage open-pit mining, are expected to significantly enhance both grade and tonnage for the near-surface resource.
The company’s 212-hole slim reverse circulation (SRC) program, drilled to a maximum depth of 14 metres across the proposed pit design, returned multiple standout intercepts.
Key results include:
- 9m @ 18.71g/t Au from 1m in GC00088
- 6m @ 9.44g/t Au from 3m in GC00087
- 8m @ 9.99g/t Au from 0m in GC00111
- 8m @ 4.45g/t Au from 0m in GC00196
- 4m @ 4.07g/t Au from 0m in GG00194
- 5m @ 3.44g/t Au from 0m in GC00114
- 1m @ 17.68g/t Au from 7m in GC00153
These results come from the shallow caprock zone, previously estimated to contain 40,873 tonnes at 1.41 grams per tonne gold for 1,858 ounces, and are likely to outperform earlier expectations for the resource.
Alex Passmore, CEO of New Murchison Gold, commented: “We are pleased to report shallow high gold grades that far exceed our expectations for gold grades in the caprock zone of the Crown Prince resource.
“We look forward to updating our resource model, grade control model and short-term mining plans given the high-grade nature of ore likely to be encountered early in the mine plan.
“The caprock was planned to be stockpiled early on in our mine plans, however following these grade results are likely to add to material being sent to Westgold under our ore purchase agreement.”
The company expects to update its grade control model in the near term, aiming to optimise early mining schedules and capitalise on the high-grade material now identified.
Crown Prince is the most advanced deposit within the broader Garden Gully Gold Project, where NMG is progressing toward near-term gold production.
Recent corporate developments include the appointment of experienced professionals to the executive team, reinforcing the company’s focus on advancing Crown Prince to production.
An ore purchase agreement with Westgold Resources (ASX: WGX) is already in effect, with plans for Westgold to purchase 30,000 to 50,000 tonnes of ore per month from Crown Prince.
New Murchison Gold’s Garden Gully Gold Project covers a 677 square kilometres tenure package in the prolific Murchison goldfield, targeting multiple gold deposits along the Abbotts Greenstone Belt.
Gold mineralisation is controlled by major north-trending structures and contact zones between felsic and mafic metamorphosed rocks.
The company updated its Mineral Resource Estimate in November 2024 and completed a maiden Ore Reserve and Feasibility Study for Crown Prince in February 2025, positioning NMG on track to become a new gold producer in the region.
New Murchison Gold’s shallow drilling at Crown Prince has delivered high-grade gold intercepts well above prior expectations, setting the stage for a strong start to mining operations and potentially boosting early project economics.
