Arika Resources has officially commenced mobilisation efforts for a major drilling campaign across its wholly owned Yundamindra and Kookynie gold projects, located in the Leonora-Laverton region of Western Australia. The company plans to execute a drilling programme exceeding 20,000 metres, marking a significant step in its exploration strategy for the region.
Focus on Key Prospects
The upcoming drilling activities are scheduled to begin in the coming weeks. Initial operations will concentrate on the Cosmopolitan, Altona, and Ithaca prospects within the Kookynie Gold Project. According to the company, these specific sites were selected following recent technical studies that highlighted high-grade extensions and potential for new discoveries. Ongoing soil sampling is currently underway to further refine these targets.
At the Yundamindra Gold Project, drilling is set to resume at the high-priority Pennyweight Point and Landed at Last prospects. This work is intended to build upon the 14,752 metres of drilling completed during the first half of 2024, with the ultimate objective of supporting a maiden mineral resource estimate.
Exploration and Metallurgical Progress
In addition to the primary drilling activities, Arika Resources is advancing its technical understanding of the project areas:
- Geochemical Surveys: Soil geochemistry surveys have recently concluded at the Emerald City target area within Yundamindra, with results expected to help define future drill targets for later this year.
- Metallurgical Testing: Preliminary leach testing has commenced on mineralised material from Yundamindra to assess gold recovery characteristics, which will inform future development studies.
Justin Barton, Managing Director of Arika Resources, noted that the company is entering its most active exploration period to date. The strategy involves operating multiple concurrent drilling programmes across both project areas, aimed at both expanding known high-grade discoveries and testing new, previously unexplored targets.
This latest phase follows a period of significant activity earlier in the year, during which the company completed nearly 15,000 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling across 100 holes at the Yundamindra project. The information regarding the mobilisation was reported by Mining Technology.
