Zenith Minerals Achieves Major Gold Resource Surge in Western Australia
Zenith Minerals has executed a significant resource upgrade at its Dulcie gold project in Western Australia, more than doubling the gold inventory to an impressive 675,000 ounces. This substantial increase follows an intensive drilling campaign conducted from July to November last year, highlighting the project's rapid expansion and growing potential in the region's prolific gold belt.
Consolidated Resource Details and Strategic Tenure
The company's inferred resource now stands at 21.3 million tonnes, grading 1 gram per tonne gold, equivalent to 675,000 ounces. This resource spans approximately six kilometres of strike within granted mining leases in the Southern Cross–Forrestania gold belt of Western Australia. By consolidating three key areas—Dulcie, Dulcie North, and Dulcie Far North—into a single project, Zenith has replaced previous exploration targets with a robust, quantifiable resource base expected to grow with ongoing drilling efforts.
Importantly, every ounce of this resource is situated on granted mining leases, providing Zenith with the flexibility to fast-track development without extensive regulatory delays. This strategic advantage positions the Dulcie project for efficient progression toward production, leveraging its tenure to minimise bureaucratic hurdles.
Breakdown of Resource Contributions and Drilling Success
The resource upgrade includes a maiden contribution from the Dulcie mining lease, which delivered 9.8 million tonnes at 1g/t gold for 300,000 ounces. Dulcie North added 75,000 ounces from 2.8 million tonnes grading 0.9g/t gold, while Dulcie Far North maintained its resource at 300,000 ounces from 8.7 million tonnes at a slightly higher grade of 1.1g/t gold. This latest estimate effectively more than doubles the previous gold tally at Dulcie Far North, achieved through an efficient drilling blitz comprising 82 reverse circulation holes.
These holes targeted stacked shallow-dipping lodes, reflecting the geological geometry proven at northern leases. The lodes are emerging as a prime candidate for open-cut mining, with over 10 stacked mineralised horizons confirmed across a broad, ductile shear zone that extends for kilometres and remains open along strike and at depth. At a 0.5g/t gold cut-off, the resource appears well-suited for low-cost, open-pit operations, aligning favourably with current buoyant gold prices.
Future Plans and Development Prospects
With management confident in the continuity of gold deposits down dip, Zenith is poised to advance the project further. Following a recently completed $7.65 million premium-priced placement to strategic investors and operating debt-free, the company is swiftly moving into the next phase. A new reverse circulation drilling program is scheduled to commence in April, aiming to infill the southern Dulcie corridor and identify higher-grade targets within the stacked lode system.
Additionally, a few diamond holes will be drilled to gather critical technical data for mining studies, including structural and metallurgical information essential for mine design and scoping-level assessments. Early feasibility studies are already underway, exploring staged open-pit mining and capital-light processing options such as ore sales and toll treatment. The project's location within trucking distance of operating processing hubs, like the Marvel Loch plant 40km away and the Edna May gold mine, further enhances its development feasibility.
Zenith Minerals managing director Andrew Smith emphasised the project's scale, noting that the resource more than doubles the contained gold previously defined and establishes genuine scale across the Consolidated Dulcie Gold Project. With its increased size, secure tenure, and substantial ounces, Dulcie is transitioning from a potential gold story to a serious candidate for standalone development, offering significant blue-sky potential in Western Australia's gold-rich landscape.
