New High-Grade Gold Discovery Boosts Woodlark Project's 1.67 Million Ounce Resource Potential
Geopacific Resources (ASX: GPR) has delivered exceptional drill results from its ongoing campaign at the Woodlark Gold Project in Papua New Guinea, with multiple high-grade intercepts confirming significant expansion opportunities across three key areas. The results demonstrate the project's potential to grow beyond its current 1.67 million ounce mineral resource, with standout intercepts including 9m @ 3.88 g/t Au and 20m @ 2.09 g/t Au from beneath existing pit designs.
The drilling campaign has successfully identified new mineralised zones at Great Northern, confirmed resource growth potential at Kulumadau, and intercepted high-grade gold at the emerging Kamwak prospect. Furthermore, this could represent a significant new discovery by Geopacific Resources adjacent to the established 711,000 ounce Kulumadau deposit.
CEO James Fox commented: "These results continue to reinforce the significant exploration and growth potential that remains at Woodlark. Our drill campaign is systematically testing extensions to the existing resource areas whilst advancing multiple new targets. With consistent results across several deposits and more assays due shortly, we are confident of delivering further resource growth beyond the current 1.67 Moz base."
Great Northern Deposit Delivers Consistent High-Grade Results
The Great Northern deposit has emerged as a standout performer in the current drilling campaign, with Phase 1 infill drilling confirming multiple stacked lenses of high-grade mineralisation within a 60-metre wide mineralised zone. The deposit's geology features a steeply southwest-dipping structure that remains open at depth, presenting significant expansion opportunities.
Key intercepts from Great Northern demonstrate the consistent nature of mineralisation across the central zone. However, the deposit remains open at depth for future expansion drilling, suggesting substantial upside potential.
| Drill Hole | Depth From (m) | Depth To (m) | Width (m) | Grade (g/t Au) | Gram-Metres Au |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KURD25015 | 145 | 154 | 9 | 3.88 | 34.88 |
| KURD25015 | 193.1 | 194.6 | 1.5 | 9.38 | 14.08 |
| KURD25013 | 208 | 214 | 6 | 2.43 | 14.60 |
| KURD25013 | 185 | 190 | 5 | 2.16 | 10.79 |
| KURD25026 | 67 | 75 | 8 | 1.33 | 10.66 |
These exceptional results confirm the robust nature of Great Northern's mineralised system. In addition, they provide strong confidence for the continuation of high-grade zones at depth.
Understanding Gram-Metres: A Key Metric for Gold Investors
Gram-metres represent the multiplication of grade (grams per tonne) by width (metres), providing investors with a single metric to quickly assess the quality and size of gold intercepts. This measurement helps compare different drilling results and understand the economic potential of mineralised zones.
For example, an intercept of 9m @ 3.88 g/t Au equals 34.88 gram-metres, indicating both substantial width and high grade. Values above 10 gram-metres are generally considered significant, whilst results exceeding 20 gram-metres often indicate potential high-value zones.
Why This Matters to Investors
Gram-metres help identify the most economically attractive parts of a deposit, as they combine both the thickness and richness of mineralisation. Higher gram-metre values typically translate to better mining economics and higher-grade ore feed for processing facilities.
Consequently, investors can use this metric to quickly evaluate the commercial significance of drilling results. Moreover, it provides a standardised comparison tool across different prospects and deposits.
Kulumadau Shows Deep Extension Potential Beyond Current Pit Design
A geotechnical hole at Kulumadau was opportunistically extended to test mineralisation below the proposed pit design, delivering exceptional results that demonstrate significant resource growth potential. The 20m @ 2.09 g/t Au from 281m intercept, along with high-grade spots of 13.30 g/t Au and 13.60 g/t Au, confirms that mineralisation extends well beyond current resource boundaries.
Kulumadau Deep Extension Results showcase remarkable continuity:
• 1m @ 13.30 g/t Au from 249m
• 20m @ 2.09 g/t Au from 281m (41.78 gram-metres)
• 1m @ 13.60 g/t Au from 299m
The company noted that the hole wasn't drilled at optimal orientation due to its original geotechnical purpose, suggesting even better results could be achieved with targeted exploration drilling. Multi-element assays are pending, which could provide additional targeting vectors for potential porphyry copper-gold systems adjacent to Kulumadau.
Kamwak Emerges as Potential Game-Changing Discovery
The Kamwak prospect has delivered its most impressive result to date with 2m @ 8.67 g/t Au from 86m, representing 17.34 gram-metres and confirming the presence of high-grade gold mineralisation over a 600-metre strike length. This potential new discovery by Geopacific Resources sits on the same structural corridor as the main Kulumadau resource, suggesting similar geological controls and mineralisation processes.
Kamwak's Strategic Significance
The prospect exhibits several compelling characteristics that position it as a significant exploration target:
• Located adjacent to the 711,000 ounce Kulumadau deposit
• Covers approximately 600 metres of strike length
• Shows similar geological characteristics to established resources
• Diamond drilling underway to develop geological model
The prospect exhibits favourable indicators including argillic alteration associated with hydrothermal fluids and distinctive geophysical signatures. Importantly, Kamwak sits on a prominent topographic feature, which on Woodlark Island is commonly associated with gold mineralisation.
What Makes These Results So Significant?
The drilling results represent a systematic validation of Geopacific's exploration strategy across multiple targets. Furthermore, the consistency of high-grade intercepts across three separate areas suggests the geological system is more extensive than previously understood.
The new discovery by Geopacific Resources demonstrates the company's ability to identify and advance multiple high-potential targets simultaneously. However, the true significance lies in the potential for resource expansion beyond the current 1.67 million ounce base.
Each drilling area presents distinct advantages. Great Northern offers near-surface, high-grade opportunities within existing infrastructure. Meanwhile, Kulumadau provides deep extension potential that could significantly expand the existing resource base.
Upcoming Catalysts: Little MacKenzie and Wayai Creek Take Centre Stage
Geopacific's drilling focus will shift over the next 2-3 months to the Woodlark King Mining Centre, where two diamond rigs and one RC rig will target near-surface mineralisation at Little MacKenzie and Wayai Creek. These prospects have already demonstrated exceptional surface results, with auger and trench sampling returning grades of up to 63.6 g/t Au and 20.7 g/t Au respectively.
The Little MacKenzie prospect is particularly compelling, with previous drilling and costeans demonstrating potential for multiple gold mineralised lodes along approximately one kilometre of strike extent. In addition, the prospect shows excellent continuity of mineralisation at surface, suggesting strong potential for resource definition drilling.
| Prospect | Drilling Type | Objective | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayai Creek | Diamond | Resource extension & confidence | Known mineralisation, existing resource |
| Little MacKenzie | Diamond | New resource definition | 1km strike length, multiple lodes |
| Regional Targets | RC | Exploration drilling | Surface geochemical anomalies |
These upcoming drilling programmes represent significant catalysts for the company over the next quarter. Moreover, the shift to known mineralised targets reduces exploration risk whilst maintaining substantial upside potential.
Investment Thesis: Why Geopacific Deserves Attention
Geopacific Resources has positioned itself as a compelling growth story in the Papua New Guinea gold sector, with its Woodlark Project offering multiple expansion vectors beyond the current 1.67 million ounce resource base. The company's systematic drilling approach is delivering consistent results across multiple prospects, suggesting the potential for significant resource growth.
The project benefits from established infrastructure in Papua New Guinea and a proven geological environment with multiple epithermal gold systems. With upcoming drilling at high-potential targets and pending assay results, the company appears well-positioned for near-term catalysts.
| Metric | Current Status | Growth Potential |
|---|---|---|
| Total Resource | 1.67 Moz Au | Multiple expansion targets active |
| Deposit Count | 3 main deposits | Kamwak potential 4th deposit |
| Drilling Status | 37 holes, 4,865m | Continuing 2-3 month campaign |
| Grade Quality | 1.07 g/t Au average | High-grade zones up to 13.6 g/t |
Industry Context
Papua New Guinea hosts several world-class gold operations, with the geological environment at Woodlark showing similarities to other successful epithermal systems in the region. The project's location on an island provides logistical advantages whilst the shallow drilling depths keep exploration costs manageable.
However, the true value proposition lies in the systematic approach to resource expansion across multiple proven targets. This strategy minimises exploration risk whilst maximising the potential for significant resource growth.
Why Investors Should Follow This Company
Geopacific Resources offers investors exposure to a 1.67 million ounce gold project with clear expansion potential and multiple near-term catalysts. The current drilling campaign has consistently delivered high-grade results across three separate areas, suggesting the geological system is more extensive than previously understood.
The new discovery by Geopacific Resources at Kamwak represents a significant milestone for the company's growth trajectory. With systematic exploration yielding consistent high-grade intercepts and multiple expansion opportunities identified, the company is methodically building its resource base through targeted drilling programmes.
The Company's Strategic Advantages
Several key factors position Geopacific for continued success:
• Proven management team with PNG experience
• Systematic exploration approach delivering consistent results
• Multiple high-potential targets under active drilling
• Established infrastructure and permitting in place
• Strong cash position to fund ongoing exploration
With the Kamwak prospect emerging as a potential fourth significant deposit and deep extensions confirmed at Kulumadau, Geopacific appears to be in the early stages of establishing substantial value from its Woodlark Project. Furthermore, the upcoming drilling programmes at Little MacKenzie and Wayai Creek provide additional near-term catalysts for investors.
Key Takeaway: The new discovery by Geopacific Resources positions the company as a major growth story in Papua New Guinea's gold sector, with significant upside potential due to consistent high-grade drilling results and multiple expansion targets. With upcoming milestones over the next 2-3 months at Little MacKenzie and Wayai Creek, investors should keep a close eye on developments as the company works to expand its 1.67 million ounce resource base.
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