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AIC Mines has struck high-grade gold in its maiden drill hole at Oro Grande, revealing fresh exploration potential just 45km south of its operating Eloise copper mine.
The diamond drill hole returned 5.6m at 5.1 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 493m, alongside separate intersections of copper, silver and zinc mineralisation.
Located approximately 45km south of AIC Mines’ operating Eloise copper mine, Oro Grande forms part of the company’s 1800km² Eloise Regional Project.
The drilling followed a ground electromagnetic survey completed in 2025, which identified three strong conductors extending across a one-kilometre strike length.
AIC Mines received an $185,000 Queensland Government Collaborative Exploration Initiative grant to help fund the drill hole that tested two stacked electromagnetic conductors.
The results identified two distinct mineralised zones, comprising an upper copper-gold-silver zone and a deeper gold-zinc zone.
The upper zone returned 7.4m at 0.1 per cent copper, 0.2g/t gold and 1g/t silver from 236.6m.
Further downhole, the company intersected 1.6m at 1.4 per cent zinc from 455.4m and 2m at 1.7 per cent zinc from 467m, ahead of the high-grade gold intersection.
AIC Mines managing director Clint Donkin said the results demonstrated the potential of the company’s regional exploration program.
“Our transformational discovery program across the 1800 square kilometre Eloise Regional Project continues to return exciting results,” Donkin said.
“We are coupling good science with good execution – and it is pleasing to see such good results returned.”
A subsequent downhole electromagnetic survey confirmed that the targeted conductors extend over approximately 1km of strike and remain open both up- and down-dip.
AIC Mines said the combination of high-grade gold and anomalous copper and zinc mineralisation warranted further investigation, particularly given the absence of previous drilling within a 3km radius.
The company is planning follow-up drilling during the 2027 field season to investigate the extent and continuity of mineralisation at Oro Grande.
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