Critical Resources Confirms Multiple Gold Pathfinder Anomalies at Lammerlaw Stony Creek

Critical Resources Tightens the Target at Lammerlaw as Multiple Gold Pathfinder Anomalies Emerge Across Stony Creek

Critical Resources (ASX: CRR) has reported follow-up soil geochemistry results from its Lammerlaw Gold Project in Central Otago, New Zealand, identifying Critical Resources Lammerlaw Stony Creek gold pathfinder anomalies across multiple arsenic-antimony-tungsten locations. The results, drawn from 143 new soil samples collected across a 5.4 kilometre north-south transect, indicate that the geochemical signal at Stony Creek recurs across an approximately 3.2 kilometre section of the permit rather than presenting as a single isolated response.

The standout result, sample A1583, returned 238 parts per million (ppm) corrected arsenic alongside 25 ppm antimony, roughly 14 times the program median of 17 ppm arsenic. Managing Director Tim Wither said the result should be read within a broader exploration context rather than as a standalone figure.

"We have identified multiple arsenic-antimony-tungsten anomalies across Stony Creek rather than a single isolated response, and they fall within the same corridor as the historic antimony workings, the elevated tungsten geochemistry and the airborne electromagnetic feature that led us to prioritise the target in the first place. Independent datasets pointing at the same ground are what give us confidence we are vectoring in the right direction." — Tim Wither, Managing Director

According to the announcement, this remains an early-stage exploration programme, with no drilling completed anywhere on the Lammerlaw permit to date. The systematic narrowing of targets across a 410 square kilometre permit using low-cost geochemical tools reflects a methodical approach to a district-scale exploration opportunity.

What the Soil Results Actually Show

The follow-up programme extended sampling across the Stony Creek target on the western side of the Lammerlaw permit, covering approximately 5.4 kilometres north to south. Anomalous arsenic-antimony-tungsten responses are concentrated within an approximately 3.2 kilometre section of that transect, with multiple discrete locations returning elevated results rather than a single cluster.

Ten of the 143 samples returned corrected arsenic at or above 30 ppm, a level corresponding to approximately the 95th percentile of the programme population. The company has used this threshold for anomaly recognition only, not as a cut-off grade.

Selected Soil pXRF Results, Stony Creek Target

pXRF values are qualitative reconnaissance measurements and are not equivalent to laboratory assay results. No gold assays are reported in this announcement.

The geographic distribution carries meaning of its own. A1675 and A1682 mark the southern and northern extents of the main anomalous-response group respectively, a separation of approximately 3.2 kilometres, while A1693, returning 28 ppm raw tungsten, sits approximately 1.0 kilometre further north, suggesting the system may extend beyond the currently defined zone.

Furthermore, the company has clarified that the 3.2 kilometre dimension describes the separation between anomalous point samples and does not represent an established strike length or continuity of a mineralised trend.

Understanding the Pathfinder Approach: Why Arsenic, Antimony and Tungsten Matter

For readers less familiar with exploration geochemistry, the significance of this result set benefits from some explanation.

What Is a Pathfinder Element?

In orogenic gold exploration, gold itself is often present in concentrations too low to detect reliably in surface soils using standard field methods, and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) instruments cannot analyse gold at all. Geologists therefore use "pathfinder" elements — metals that occur alongside gold in the mineralising system and can be detected in surface samples — to identify where deeper gold-bearing structures might occur.

In the Otago Schist Belt, the recognised pathfinder suite for orogenic gold systems is arsenic, antimony and tungsten. These elements are associated with the mineral assemblage of arsenopyrite, stibnite and scheelite that typically accompanies shear-hosted orogenic gold mineralisation in this geological setting.

Why Does Coincident Arsenic-Antimony-Tungsten Matter?

A single elevated arsenic result in isolation carries limited weight on its own. However, when arsenic, antimony and tungsten all respond together at the same location or along the same structural corridor, it suggests the anomaly may have a geologically coherent source rather than reflecting a local contamination event or geological noise.

At Stony Creek, this coincidence — now confirmed at several separate locations — is what the company says elevates the target beyond a single data point.

Why Does This Matter to Investors?

The practical implication concerns resource efficiency. A 410 square kilometre permit cannot be drilled comprehensively. Pathfinder geochemistry, supported by structural mapping, geophysics and historical workings data, allows a company to concentrate drilling expenditure on the ground considered most likely to host mineralisation.

Glossary of Key Terms

• pXRF (Portable X-Ray Fluorescence): A handheld instrument measuring elemental concentrations in field samples. Results are qualitative and reconnaissance-grade, not equivalent to laboratory assays.
• Orogenic gold: Gold deposited by hydrothermal fluids during tectonic events, typically hosted in shear zones and quartz veins in metamorphic terranes.
• Otago Schist Belt: A metamorphic belt in New Zealand's South Island hosting several known gold deposits, and the geological setting for Lammerlaw.
• C-horizon soil: The deepest layer of the soil profile, closest to unweathered bedrock and generally considered most representative of local geochemistry.
• RPD (Relative Percent Difference): A quality control measure for analytical repeatability; the programme achieved a 96.6% pass rate at the 20% RPD threshold.
• NZTM2000: New Zealand Transverse Mercator 2000, the coordinate system used to record sample locations.

Multiple Datasets Converging on the Same Ground

According to the announcement, the Stony Creek result set is notable not only for the soil geochemistry in isolation, but for the convergence of independent datasets on the same target area.

The Stony Creek target was originally prioritised because three separate lines of evidence aligned spatially:

1. Historic antimony workings, confirming past recognition of antimony mineralisation at surface
2. Known tungsten anomalism, pre-existing geochemical data indicating the presence of scheelite-related mineralisation
3. A regional airborne electromagnetic (AEM) feature, a geophysical signature considered consistent with conductive mineralised zones at depth

The new soil programme has, consequently, added a fourth layer: systematic, quality-controlled arsenic-antimony-tungsten anomalies at multiple discrete locations within the same corridor. As Wither noted, independent datasets pointing at the same ground are what build exploration confidence.

This pattern is also consistent with how orogenic gold systems in the Otago Schist Belt have typically been located at surface, with coincident arsenic-antimony-tungsten along a structural corridor providing a conceptually grounded basis for prioritising follow-up work.

Lammerlaw in the Context of the Broader New Zealand Portfolio

Lammerlaw forms part of Critical Resources' 1,694 square kilometre New Zealand gold portfolio, spanning multiple permits across the Otago Schist Belt. In addition, results from adjacent targets provide district-scale context for the mineralised system at Lammerlaw.

Key Portfolio Highlights

The 5.42 g/t gold rock-chip result reported previously at Devils Creek — approximately 13 kilometres east of Stony Creek within the same permit — is described as a district-scale indicator. It confirms gold mineralisation is present within the Lammerlaw permit at grades of interest, which the company says lends geological plausibility to the Critical Resources Lammerlaw Stony Creek gold pathfinder anomalies now being defined at Stony Creek.

What Comes Next: The Path to Drill Targeting

The current programme is explicitly reconnaissance-grade. Portable XRF measures elemental proxies rather than gold itself. According to the announcement, the next series of activities is designed to convert geochemical signals into ranked drill targets.

Stony Creek Next Steps

1. Infill soil sampling around A1583 and other anomalous areas to define the spatial extent and continuity of individual anomalies
2. Structural and geological mapping of the main anomalous-response area and the separate northern tungsten response, to identify structures, alteration, quartz veining, sulphides and mineralised float
3. Rock-chip sampling of prospective outcrop, float and historic workings associated with the main soil responses
4. Laboratory confirmation, with selected anomalous and representative background soils submitted for accredited multi-element and gold analysis, marking the first test for gold in this specific target area
5. Drill target ranking, integrating soil, rock-chip, geological, LiDAR and geophysical datasets to determine whether any areas warrant drill testing

Broader New Zealand Portfolio Near-Term Activities

Why Investors Should Keep Watching Critical Resources

According to the announcement, Critical Resources is pursuing a staged exploration approach across a large New Zealand land package. The Stony Creek results demonstrate several features relevant to an exploration investment case.

Points for continued investor attention:

• Multiple anomalies, not one: The 143-sample programme returned arsenic-antimony-tungsten responses at several discrete locations across a 3.2 kilometre section of Stony Creek, a pattern the company says is consistent with the orogenic gold model for the Otago Schist Belt rather than an isolated geochemical spike
• Converging evidence: Soil geochemistry, historic antimony workings, tungsten anomalism and an airborne electromagnetic feature all point to the same ground, reducing the likelihood that any single dataset is spurious
• District-scale context: Rock-chip results of up to 5.42 g/t gold at Devils Creek, 13 kilometres east within the same permit, indicate gold mineralisation is present at scale in the broader system
• Capital-efficient methodology: Wither described systematic soil geochemistry as the fastest and lowest-cost tool available for reducing a 410 square kilometre permit to a short list of ground worth drilling
• Undrilled permit with multiple targets: No drilling has been completed anywhere on the Lammerlaw permit to date, with three defined priority target areas and multiple sub-targets now identified within them
• Quality control backbone: The programme achieved R² values of 0.9887 and 0.9937 on arsenic calibration and a 96.6% pass rate on repeat and duplicate comparisons

Key Takeaway: Critical Resources has narrowed a 410 square kilometre permit to a short list of coincident, multi-element anomalies at Stony Creek, consistent with the surface expression typically used to locate orogenic gold systems in the Otago Schist Belt. With laboratory gold assays, infill sampling and structural mapping planned as immediate next steps, and an undrilled permit carrying multiple priority targets, the coming months represent a period of significant interest for investors following this New Zealand gold exploration story.

Ready to Follow Critical Resources' New Zealand Gold Story?

Critical Resources (ASX: CRR) is systematically targeting a 410 square kilometre undrilled permit in the Otago Schist Belt, with multiple converging datasets now pointing to the same corridor at Stony Creek — and laboratory gold assays, infill sampling and structural mapping all planned as immediate next steps. To learn more about the company, its Lammerlaw Gold Project, and its broader 1,694 square kilometre New Zealand portfolio, visit the Critical Resources website.