New Nova Minerals exploration results provide a revelation at Estelle

Nova Minerals (ASX: NVA) continues to grow its large Estelle gold project in Alaska with new sampling and survey results confirming two large gold anomalies within the Revelation prospect area.

Revelation was highlighted as an area of interest during Nova head of exploration Hans Hoffman’s extensive recent surface exploration mapping and sampling program across the entire Estelle Gold project.

Now follow-up observations and assay results have found that the Revelation prospect anomaly measures approximately 500 metres in length by 300m in width, with a further anomaly identified 900m to the west measuring approximately 300m long and 100m wide.

High-grade results

Exploration and sampling targeted gold mineralisation with best surface sampling results of up to 3.4 grams per tonne of gold.

As no other elements of interest were considered to be highly anomalous by its exploration team, Nova says the prospect is considered to be a pure gold play.

“Field crews have been picking away at the Revelation prospect since 2021,” Mr Hoffman said.

“Revelation has had great access on low weather days, and when the rest of the property is socked in, crews are generally able to access the greater Revelation valley. While Revelation may not host the >10 g/t gold rocks we see elsewhere on the property, the consistent >1 g/t gold in soil anomaly is impressive in its own regard.”

“Mineralisation is believed to continue undercover across valley to the south where a couple of soil samples give evidence of continued gold mineralisation. Further work both down valley to the west and up valley to the east is warranted. Drilling at the main anomaly will be the only true test of mineralisation in the extremely altered and weathered granodiorite host.”

Numerous gold samples collected

To date at Revelation, field crews have collected a total of 25 rock samples, four of which were greater than 1.0 g/t gold, including a high of 3.4 g/t gold, and an average grade of 0.2 g/t gold. 35 soils have been collected to date, including 13 of which were greater than 0.5 g/t gold including a high of 2.9 g/t gold, and an average grade of 0.5 g/t gold.

Sampling in 2023 increased the Revelation anomalous zone by nearly 200m to the west, well into the sedimentary unit.

Nova chief executive officer Christopher Gerteisen said more detailed sampling will help refine this anomaly and potentially extend it further west.

Significant potential recognised

“The exploration teams have long recognised the potential of this prospect area which shows a very strong colour and alteration anomaly at surface,” Mr Gerteisen said.

“These results are another example of how persistence pays off with two new very broad gold targets being confirmed this year. While most of the exploration thus far at Estelle has been focused along the centre of the property, the Revelation discovery, as well the new discovery at Styx this year, highlights the potential of the western strip of the claims for gold, antimony and other elements.”

“We recognise this potential now more than ever and it will definitely be an area in which we will continue to follow up and chase further significant upside as we move forward.”

Revelation is just one of a number of prospective targets with the potential to add to the Estelle Gold project which contains multiple resource centres across a 35 kilometre-long mineralised corridor.

Nova has already defined multi-million ounce resources across four deposits containing a combined 9.9 million ounces of gold.

The project is situated on the Estelle gold trend in Alaska’s prolific Tintina Gold Belt.