Estelle Gold Project
Nova is Rapidly Developing North America's Next Major Gold Trend With Our 513km2 Estelle Gold Project in Alaska (See interactive map below)
Nova’s flagship Estelle Gold Project contains multiple resource centers across a 35km long mineralized corridor of over 20 identified gold prospects, including two already defined multi-million ounce resources across 4 deposits containing a combined 9.9 Moz Au. The project is situated on the Estelle Gold Trend in Alaska’s prolific Tintina Gold Belt, and is a year round operation accessible via air and a winter road, with base camp facilities including, a 4,000 foot airstrip, on-site sample processing facility and a 80 person fully winterized camp, which accommodates our geological, technical, and drilling contractors.
Recently the proposed West Susitna Access Road, which is situated on State land within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and has considerable support from both the community and the State government, has progressed to the permitting stage, and is currently going through the EIS process, with construction proposed to start in 2025.
To learn more about the Estelle Gold Project, please hover over the hotspots marked on the map below.
Whiskey Bravo Airstrip & Camp
Year round operation near large labour source and all essential services
- 80 person fully winterized camp with plans for explanation
- 4,000 foot airstrip compliant for large DC3 aircraft
- Helipad for 2 helicopters
On-site sample crushing and splitting preparation laboratory.
Proposed West Susitna
Access Road
All year access road
- Situated on State land within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- Has considerable support from both the community and the State government
- Progressed to the permitting stage
- Construction of the road is proposed to start in 2025
Korbel Main Deposit
Large bulk tonnage 8.1 Moz Au Total Resource, including 3.0 Moz Indicated
- Intrusion Related Gold System (IRGS)
- 3km of strike length and remains wide open from surface
- Low mine strip ratio of 0.76:1
Korbel Mining Complex
8.1 Moz Au Total Resource including 3.0 Moz Indicated
- Phase 1 Scoping study completed for potential 6mtpa processing plant next to Korbel Main
- 5 other prospects at varying levels of exploration within approximately 2km of the proposed processing plant site
- Conventional open pit with truck and shovel mining method and mill operation.
Cathedral Deposit
Cathedral is potentially the feeder system for the large gold system at Korbel Main
- 12 holes for 5,000m drilled in 2022 with assays pending
- High-grade grab rock chip samples include 114 g/t Au
- Located 1.5km South of the proposed processing plant
NK
The NK prospect is located in the middle of the claim block between Portage Pass and Mount Estelle
- Influenced by steeply dipping NNW to NNE trending sulfide Veins, hosted in the Estelle pluton in felsic to intermediate intrusive rocks.
- Future exploration target
You Beauty
You Beauty is a prospect very close to the proposed processing plant site within the Korbel Valley
- 1 test hole was drilled in 2022 with assays pending
Isabella
Isabella is another exciting prospect close to the proposed processing plant site within the Korbel Valley
- Grab rock chip samples up to 1.04 g/t Au have been discovered in the area
- Future exploration target
Sweet Jenny
Sweet Jenny is another identified prospect close to the proposed processing plant site within the Korbel Valley
Blocks C & D
Blocks C & D are yet to be drill tested, but show geological signs of possibly linking with the Korbel Main Deposit
Korbel Potential Processing Plant
Phase 1 Scoping study completed for potential 6mtpa processing plant next to Korbel Main
- Study forecasts over 200,000 oz in the first year of gold production
- Conventional mill operation with ore sorters delivering 1.0 g/t Au average feed grade
- Proven flow sheet provides 88% gold recovery
- Ore feed to initially come from Korbel Main high-grade feeder system and later from some of the other exciting prospects within the Korbel Mining Complex
RPM Mining Complex
High-grade 1.5 Moz Au @ 2 g/t Resource
- World class, thick high grade, drill intercepts from surface
- Growing foot print with numerous gold zones identified for further follow up
- Geological observations indicate the RPM North and RPM South systems are genetically linked
- With 7 other prospects at varying levels of exploration within the mining complex, a strong case is building for another processing plant to be built in the southern area
- Conventional open pit with truck and shovel mining method and mill operation, without the need for ore sorting
RPM North Deposit
Exceptional high-grade 1.5 Moz Au @ 2 g/t Resource
- Board zone of continuous high-grade gold from surface
- RPM-005 400m @ 3.5 g/t Au, including 132m @ 10.1 g/t Au
- RPM-015 258m @ 5.1 g/t Au, including 117m @ 11.1 g/t Au
- RPM-008 260m @ 3.6 g/t Au, including 140m @ 6.5 g/t Au
RPM South Deposit
Oriented drill core confirms RPM South genetically linked to RPM North
- RPM South holes replicate the early discovery results at RPM North
- Mineralization remains wide open in all directions
- RPM-023 333m @ 0.5 g/t Au, including 94m @ 1.0 g/t Au
Train
Exploration at the Train prospect has confirmed another large IRGS exposed at surface with 1km strike and 500m wide
- High-grade rock samples include 80.2 g/t Au, 30.4 g/t Au, 24.5 g/t Au, 21.6 g/t Au and 17.9 g/t Au
- High-grade sheeted vein RPM style gold mineralization
- Train is a high priority resource drill target in 2023
Shoeshine
Exploration mapping and sampling at the Shoeshine prospect has confirmed a large IRGS exposed at surface with 1km strike length in proximity to Train
- High-grade rock samples include 7.5 g/t Au and 5.7 g/t Au
- Sheeted vein style gold mineralization
- Future exploration target
Shadow
The Shadow prospect occurs around Shoeshine and sampling by Millrock has shown anomalous gold values
- Mineralization occurs in NW trending quartz sulfide veins
- Future exploration target
Trumpet
The Trumpet prospect is a newly discovered board zone of gold mineralization located 1.5 km Northwest of Train
- High-grade rock samples include 32.8 g/t Au, 16.6 g/t Au, 16.0 g/t Au, 13.6 g/t Au and 12.7 g/t Au
- High-grade sheeted vein RPM style gold mineralization, genetically linked to Train
- Trumpet is a high priority resource drill target in 2023
Revelation
The Revelation prospect is a large multi-element stream sediment anomaly with a large iron-stained zone hosting a variety of intrusive rocks with strong quartz stockwork veining
- Geological observations show the potential for discovery of a porphyry-style copper-gold deposit
- Future exploration target
Muddy Creek
The Muddy Creek prospect covers a North-Northwest trending area about 1 km by 4 km’s in size
- Future exploration target
RPM Potential Processing Plant
The significant scope for major resource development at RPM, and possibly another deposit in the Train area, has now given the company optionality to investigate the case for potentially developing another processing plant in the RPM Mining Complex
- Conventional mill operation, but due to the high-grade material, ore sorting will not be required at this processing plant
- Option to be investigated as part of the PFS trade-off studies
Stoney
The Stoney prospect is an extensive polymetallic vein system (gold, silver and copper) located in the central area of the Estelle Gold Project
- Massive polymetallic mineralized vein observed along 4km of strike length, up to 10m wide, and >300m vertical extent
- High-grade polymetallic rock samples include 48.4 g/t Au, 2,720 g/t Ag and 2.4% Cu
- Future exploration target
Portage Pass
The Portage Pass prospect is located in the middle of the claim block between Portage Pass and Mount Estelle
- Influenced by steeply dipping NNW to NNE trending sulfide Veins, hosted in the Estelle pluton in felsic to intermediate intrusive rocks.
- Future exploration target
West Wing
The West Wing prospect is located approximately 3 km west of Stoney
- Identified due to its prevalent iron oxide staining
- Mineralization follows a Northeast trend
- Geological observations show the potential for discovery of a porphyry-style copper-gold deposit
- Future exploration target
Tomahawk
The Tomahawk prospect is located in the middle of the claim block between Portage Pass and Mount Estelle
- Influenced by steeply dipping NNW to NNE trending sulfide Veins, hosted in the Estelle pluton in felsic to intermediate intrusive rocks.
- Future exploration target
Access Roads
Access roads form the backbone of an exploration and mine’s infrastructure and cost effective and reliable pavements are required to ensure optimum output, particularly as they are often in remote and extreme environments. Nova has completed ARD test work that provide solutions for mechanically modifying in situ material and construction methodologies that will reduce construction cost and time by using overburden or waste material.
Trundle
The Trundle prospect is located on the northern side of Mt Stoney
- It is described as a high-grade, polymetallic vein occurrence located near a strong, circular magnetic high, pointing to the possibility of nearby porphyry mineralization
- Future exploration target
Rainy Day
The Rainy Day vein is another massive polymetallic vein to the Northwest of Stony and similar in nature
- Exposed vein measured 2-5m thick, > 10m vertical and 100m in strike length
- Polymetallic rock samples include 8.12 g/t Au and 1.7% Cu
- Future exploration target
T5
Haul Roads
T5 is a magnetic anomaly thought to be associated with Stoney, however, small outcrops beneath a rock glacier revealed a strongly magnetic mafic dike and intermediate intrusive
- Future exploration target
T5 is a magnetic anomaly thought to be associated with Stoney, however, small outcrops beneath a rock glacier revealed a strongly magnetic mafic dike and intermediate intrusive
- Future exploration target
Nova’s immediate growth strategy is to increase gold resources, extend deposits and make new large discoveries, while at the same time advancing conceptual mine plans, and environmental, permitting and trade-off studies to get Estelle into production as fast as possible.
Nova employs a three-tiered exploration strategy at the Estelle Gold Project:
Establishing a Tier 1 resource at RPM by extending its mineralized footprint and further exploring nearby prospects, including drill testing the Train area, to increase the mineral resource and throughput to the plant.
Establishing a Tier 1 resource at Korbel Main and its nearby prospects within the Korbel Valley by proving significant extensions to the mineralization footprint along strike and at depth.
Utilising conventional geology exploration techniques on the other over 20 identified highly prospective targets with a view to making new large discoveries across the Estelle Gold Project in what we know is a world class mineralized trend.
The Estelle Gold Project currently comprises of 4 mineral resource deposits:
- The bulk tonnage Korbel Main Deposit, located in the North of the project area, has a confirmed strike length of over 2.5km and up to 500m depth, and remains open with significant potential to further extend the mineralization.
- Cathedral is another bulk tonnage deposit nearby and similar to Korbel Main. An initial maiden Inferred resource has confirmed a strike length of at least 800m and 350m wide. The deposit remains wide open in all directions. The potential for high-grade zones exist with up to 114 g/t Au in surface rock chip samples.
- The high-grade RPM North Deposit, located in the South of the project area, has a 450m strike length and 150m width, defined by close spaced resource drilling, and remains open. It also includes a high-grade M&I core of 100m long x 50m wide x 300m deep. Significant potential remains to further extend the mineralization.
- RPM South is a newly discovered zone. Initial drilling as confirmed a genetically link to RPM North. Currently resources have a strike length of 400m and 250m width. Over 600m of perspective strike length connects RPM South with RPM North. This is the highest priority drill target within the Estelle Gold Project with significant positive implications for further resource upside.
Extensive diamond and RC drilling programs have been undertaken to test the extent of all deposits and infill, in support of a high confidence Mineral Resource Estimate of 9.9 Moz across the Estelle Gold Project, as released to the market on 11 April 2023. This Mineral Resource contains a proportion of Measured and Indicated classified material to support future studies and an Ore Reserve. Future targeted drilling programs are planned to upgrade both the size and confidence of the resource estimate.
Estelle Gold Project – Global Mineral Resource Estimate,
April 2023
For the latest information on exploration and drilling results at the Estelle Gold Project, please view our ASX Announcements, Company Presentations and Videos.
