Nova Minerals (ASX: NVA) has made a promising discovery with drilling success at the RPM North prospect within its Estelle gold and critical minerals project in Alaska.
Results from a 2025 east extension drilling campaign at RPM North has confirmed further gold resource upside as the company prepares to produce a new mineral resource estimate (MRE) in 2026.
Chief executive officer, Christopher Gerteisen, said the latest results have extended a mineralised halo around the high-grade core zone at RPM North.
RPM focus in 2026
He told shareholders the eastern extension has the potential to significantly increase the resource at RPM and will be a focus of a 2026 RPM resource drilling program.
“The latest drilling results at RPM North support continuity of mineralisation across the deposit and indicate that a zone of further mineralisation extends to the east, which remains open along strike.”
“RPM continues to demonstrate the exciting potential of Estelle as a future, tier-one North American gold project.”
Exploration accelerating
The company will now accelerate exploration to add additional ounces to be incorporated into an updated resource estimate for an upcoming pre-feasibility study (PFS).
“Technical studies and optimisation work are progressing to advance the project towards commercial production,” Mr Gerteisen added.
A total of seven diamond core holes were drilled at RPM North in 2025 as a follow-up to previous drilling in the east where highlight results included 259m at 0.5 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from surface.
The follow-up results featured broad, near-surface gold intersections confirming the eastern strike extension.
Highlight returns included 180m at 0.7 g/t from 4.0m; 162m at 1.0 g/t from 3.0m; 167m at 0.7 g/t from 187m; and 165m at 0.6 g/t from 3.0m from four separate holes.
Nova is now awaiting results from drilling in a high-grade zone at RPM Valley and the Korbel and Stibium targets.
Upcoming gold exploration activities include an airborne geophysical survey to commence in the northern spring of 2026.
Nova is also undertaking a range of work on its antimony phase 1 project, with metallurgical and environmental test work ongoing.
