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Kuniko Completes Phase-Two Drilling at Commonwealth-Silica Hill, NSW
By Drooid · · How we work
Phase Two Drilling Completed
Kuniko Limited announced that its phase-two diamond-drilling program at the Commonwealth-Silica Hill project in New South Wales has concluded. The campaign comprised five holes totalling 1,492 metres, extending the earlier eleven-hole, 2,731-metre effort that began after the company’s earn-in in October 2025. The work was aimed at testing and expanding the interpreted Northern and Southern lodes across the two deposits that lie within 200 metres of each other.
Project Background and Regional Context
The Commonwealth-Silica Hill prospect sits in the Lachlan Fold Belt, a geologically renowned tier-1 copper-gold province that hosts major operations such as Newmont’s Cadia-Ridgeway mine. Market commentators note that recent successes at nearby Alkane Resources’ Boda-Kaiser porphyry deposit—now exceeding 8.3 million ounces of gold and 1.5 million tonnes of copper—have heightened exploration activity across the belt. Kuniko’s earn-in and joint-venture with Impact Minerals grant it the right to secure up to a 90 percent interest in the project.
Data & Statistics
- Current JORC-inferred resources: 88,000 ounces of gold and 3.3 million ounces of silver across the Commonwealth and Silica Hill deposits.
- Phase-two visual logging identified sulphide zones up to 70 metres wide and individual veins as thick as 0.5 metre.
- A first-phase intercept recorded a 0.5-metre interval grading 20,603 g/t silver and 27 g/t gold.
Company Outlook and Upcoming Steps
The company plans to release assay results in October and to conduct downhole electromagnetic (DHEM) surveys on selected holes to explore potential extensions. Parallel to updating the Commonwealth-Silica Hill resource, Kuniko is evaluating additional regional targets within the district-scale system for future drilling. The firm also maintains a portfolio of battery-critical mineral projects in Norway, including the Ertelien nickel-copper-cobalt deposit.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Completing Phase 2 drilling is an important milestone for Kuniko, with 11 diamond holes now completed for 2,731 metres across the Commonwealth-Silica Hill system. The program has significantly advanced our understanding of the mineralised system, with assays expected in October and planned DHEM surveys to provide further insight into potential extensions.” — Maja McGuire, limited managing director