Excellent timing. Strata Minerals (ASX: SMX) is set to restart drilling at its Zelica Gold Project in Western Australia following a highly successful maiden program. The company has secured a rig for a Phase 2 reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign scheduled for mid-March 2026 .
Here are the key details of the upcoming drill program and the project’s potential:
- Phase 2 Drilling Plan: The new program will consist of approximately 20 holes for a total of 2,500 metres. It will focus on step-out drilling to test depth extensions of the known high-grade mineralisation and infill drilling to accelerate the path towards a maiden JORC-compliant resource estimate .
- Compelling Maiden Results: This follow-up program is driven by impressive results from Strata’s first drilling campaign at Zelica late last year, where 22 out of 23 holes returned significant shallow gold intercepts . Key results included :
- 10m at 3.18g/t gold from 37m, including 3m at 8.36g/t
- 9m at 2.07g/t gold from 44m, including 2m at 7.02g/t
- 7m at 3.0g/t gold from 51m
- Expanded Project Footprint: The project’s potential has grown following Strata’s recent acquisition of the adjacent Zelica South Project. This consolidates an 8km-long gold-mineralised corridor, offering significant scope for new discoveries along strike from the main Zelica mineralisation .
- Strategic Advantages: The Zelica project sits on a granted mining licence within trucking distance of multiple gold processing mills in the prolific Yundamindra district between Leonora and Laverton . This, combined with existing historical infrastructure like a pre-stripped open pit, positions the company to potentially assess near-term mining opportunities .
🚀 What to Watch For
With the drill rig about to start turning, the market will be watching for:
- Results from Phase 2 Drilling: Assay results in the coming months will be key to see if the step-out holes successfully extend the high-grade zones at depth .
- Maiden Resource Estimate: Success with this program could fast-track the delivery of an initial resource for the project .
- Zelica South Exploration: Results from the recently completed fieldwork (mapping and sampling) at Zelica South are expected soon, which will help define future drill targets along the 8km corridor .
