Nova Minerals reports ‘world class’ sample at Estelle gold project

Nova Minerals (ASX: NVA) has reported the highest-grade gold rock sample to date of 1,290 grams per tonne from the Estelle project in Alaska.

The bonanza result was returned from the Shoeshine prospect and is believed to be a project-wide record which also contained 591g/t silver, 1.0% copper and 0.9% antimony.

High-grade gold and antimony surface samples confirmed further broad zones of surface mineralisation.

Best intercepts

Best intercepts at Shoeshine were 96.5g/t gold and 0.1% antimony; 57.7g/t gold and 0.2% antimony; 35.6g/t gold and 1.0% copper; 13.7g/t gold and 1.8% copper; 10.3g/t gold and 1.7% copper; 9.6g/t gold, 941g/t silver and 0.1% antimony; and 5.5g/t gold and 0.1% antimony.

Nova also recorded high-grade results from the neighbouring Shadow prospect, with best assays of 44.2g/t gold and 1.8% copper; 14.6g/t gold; 7.6g/t gold and 3.0% antimony; 7.2g/t gold and 0.3% antimony; 6.8g/t gold; and 4.2g/t gold.

The company said extensive samples of gold, antimony, copper and silver sit within close proximity to the Train prospect, indicating that Shoeshine and Shadow areas are also highly mineralised.

The results show the presence of abundant antimony-enriched mineralisation within the Estelle gold district.

Antimony analysis

Nova said its technical team would include antimony analysis as part of its focus and assay protocol in future exploration and resource work to determine the potential of the mineral in project-wide studies.

Antimony grades of more than 0.1% are considered to have the ability to provide significant bi-product credits in Estelle’s economics.

Right elements

Chief executive officer Christopher Gerteisen said his team believed Estelle contained all the right elements for a significant discovery.

“A 1,290g/t gold sample is world class by any measure [and] these latest results continue to show the potential of this project,” he said.

“Shoeshine and Shadow are situated just east of the Train and Trumpet targets and are part of the same massive intrusive related gold system… we have seen good antimony, silver, and copper results returned from this system as well.”