Nova Minerals Launches 15,000m Drilling Campaign at Estelle Gold-Antimony Project
Nova Minerals (ASX: NVA, NASDAQ: NVA) has announced that preparations are well underway for an ambitious 15,000-metre drilling program at its Estelle Gold and Antimony Project in Alaska, with operations set to commence in the coming weeks. The 2025 field campaign aims to advance existing gold deposits toward feasibility studies while establishing a maiden resource at its promising Stibium antimony prospect.
Field Operations Already Mobilising in Alaska
With both gold and antimony prices near historic highs, Nova has accelerated its operational timeline with crews, helicopters, and equipment already arriving at the Whiskey Bravo airstrip in Alaska. The company will deploy two diamond drill rigs alongside its company-owned reverse circulation (RC) rig, operating around the clock during the extended daylight hours of the Alaskan summer.
"We are excited to commence the 2025 field season with a 15,000-metre drilling program aimed at unlocking further value across our Estelle Project. This campaign will focus on advancing the RPM and Korbel gold deposits toward feasibility and permitting, while also initiating a maiden resource at the Stibium prospect for both gold and antimony," said Nova CEO Christopher Gerteisen.
Strategic Focus on High-Value Targets
The drilling program is strategically distributed across three primary targets:
| Target Area | Planned Drilling | Primary Objectives |
|---|---|---|
| RPM | 10,000m | Resource expansion, definition drilling, exploration of glacial debris zone |
| Stibium | 3,000m | Establish maiden gold-antimony resource, target high-grade antimony veins |
| Korbel | 2,000m | Evaluate potential higher-grade starter pit |
Stibium: Emerging Strategic Antimony Asset
The Stibium prospect represents a particularly exciting opportunity for Nova, with 2024 surface sampling defining an extensive 800m by 400m gold-antimony mineralised zone. Impressive high-grade results include:
- Rock samples up to 141 g/t gold and 60.5% antimony
- 12 rock samples exceeding 30% antimony
- 16 rock samples exceeding 5 g/t gold
- 35 soil samples exceeding 1 g/t gold
The strategic importance of antimony has been further highlighted by Nova's ongoing application for U.S. Department of Defense funding to accelerate resource development. If successful, the company plans to deploy additional diamond drill rigs to expand the 2025 program at Stibium and potentially commence drilling at the Styx target.
Understanding Antimony's Strategic Importance
Antimony is classified as a critical mineral by many governments due to its essential applications in defense, energy, and industrial sectors. The metal is crucial for producing flame retardants, ammunition, batteries, and semiconductor materials. With China controlling approximately 60% of global production, secure supplies from stable jurisdictions like Alaska have become increasingly valuable.
The metal's price has risen substantially in recent years due to supply constraints and growing demand, particularly for energy storage applications. Nova's Stibium prospect represents one of the few significant antimony discoveries in North America in recent decades.
What is Antimony?
Antimony (chemical symbol Sb) is a silvery-white, brittle metallic element that belongs to the nitrogen group on the periodic table. It exists in nature primarily as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb₂S₃), which has been mined for thousands of years.
In its elemental form, antimony is a poor conductor of heat and electricity, has a relatively low melting point, and expands upon cooling. These unique physical properties, along with its chemical characteristics, make it valuable for numerous industrial applications.
Critical Applications of Antimony
Flame Retardants: The largest commercial use of antimony is in flame-retardant compounds for products such as children's clothing, toys, aircraft and automobile seat covers, and certain plastics used in consumer electronics.
Military and Defense: Antimony is used in the production of bullets, bullet tracers, and various military alloys. It also serves as a key component in infrared detectors and night-vision devices.
Energy Storage: Antimony is increasingly important in next-generation battery technologies, including liquid metal batteries for grid-scale energy storage and certain lead-acid battery formulations.
Semiconductor Materials: Antimony compounds are used in the production of diodes, infrared detectors, and Hall-effect devices.
Other Applications: Antimony also finds use in the glass and ceramics industry, as a catalyst in the production of PET plastic, and in certain pigments.
Supply Chain Vulnerabilities
The global antimony market faces significant supply chain vulnerabilities:
- Geographic Concentration: China dominates global production, controlling approximately 60% of mine output and over 80% of refining capacity.
- Limited Substitutes: For many critical applications, particularly flame retardants and defense uses, there are few viable substitutes for antimony.
- Declining Reserves: High-grade antimony deposits are becoming increasingly scarce globally.
- Processing Constraints: There is limited antimony processing capacity outside of China.
These factors have led many governments, including the United States, European Union, and Australia, to classify antimony as a critical mineral of strategic importance.
Comprehensive Exploration Approach
Beyond the drilling program, Nova is implementing an extensive regional surface exploration campaign across the broader Estelle Project area. Field teams will conduct geological mapping, geochemical sampling, and target delineation to identify and advance new high-priority prospects for future resource growth.
Focus areas include:
- Adding coverage north of Korbel
- Increasing sample density between Portage Pass and Tomahawk
- Follow-up mapping at West Wing, Styx, and Train areas
- Infill sampling at RPM and Styx
The company is also making significant progress with metallurgical, environmental, and process engineering test work. These efforts are advancing the current feasibility study and are aimed at streamlining the permitting process.
Investment Potential: Why Nova Minerals Warrants Attention
Nova Minerals has positioned itself at the intersection of two compelling market opportunities—gold exploration and critical minerals development. The Estelle Gold-Antimony Project stands out for several reasons:
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Scale and Diversification: The 514 km² property contains multiple mining complexes across a 35 km mineralised corridor with over 20 advanced prospects.
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Established Resource Base: Two already defined multi-million-ounce gold resources provide a solid foundation.
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Strategic Metal Upside: The antimony component adds significant strategic value, particularly given current geopolitical tensions and supply chain concerns.
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Location Advantage: The project is situated in mining-friendly Alaska within the prolific Tintina Gold Belt, which hosts over 220 million ounces of documented gold.
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Advancing Toward Development: Parallel progress on metallurgical, environmental, and process engineering test work is moving the project toward feasibility studies and permitting.
With drilling results expected to flow throughout the field season and potential Department of Defense funding on the horizon, Nova Minerals offers investors exposure to both precious metals and critical minerals in a premier mining jurisdiction.
Ready to Capitalise on the Critical Minerals Opportunity?
Discover how Nova Minerals is advancing its 15,000-metre drilling campaign at the strategically significant Estelle Gold-Antimony Project in Alaska. With operations already mobilising and drilling focused on both precious metals and critical minerals, now is the perfect time to learn more about this compelling investment opportunity. Visit Nova Minerals' website for the latest investor information and to stay updated on upcoming drilling results from this multi-resource project.
