The latest soil geochemistry survey on exploration licence E40/350 has revealed strong geochemical anomalies consistent with orogenic gold systems, including two standout targets—CTA1 and CTA2—at the Cosmopolitan Northwest prospect. These targets, which remain undrilled, will be refined through upcoming extensional and infill soil sampling ahead of future drill campaigns.
Kookynie: Underexplored but Rich in Potential
Located approximately 50km south of Leonora and 180km north of Kalgoorlie in WA’s prolific North-Eastern Goldfields, the Kookynie Project spans about 110km² and is 80% owned by Arika. Despite its location in a world-class mining district, the project has seen limited modern exploration.
Initial exploration by Arika between 2019 and 2021 focused on shallow mineralisation at the McTavish, Leipold, and Champion deposits, where more than 30,000m of drilling has been completed. These prospects are situated on granted mining leases and are within haulage distance of existing gold processing facilities, offering a clear path to development.
A recent independent technical review identified multiple untested targets across the broader Kookynie tenement, prompting Arika to launch an accelerated exploration program to unlock value in both greenfield and legacy areas.
Promising New Targets and Survey Results
Managing Director Justin Barton said recent soil geochemistry surveys have returned “very positive results,” identifying several coincident geochemical and geophysical anomalies across the project.
“At the Mulga Plum–Jeedamya area in the western Kookynie tenure, two high-priority targets have been defined,” Barton said. “We’ve also outlined two promising targets at the Cosmopolitan NW prospect, just 2km from the historic Cosmopolitan Mine. These may represent either an extension of the structure hosting the McTavish East deposit or a previously unrecognised parallel zone.”
Follow-up soil sampling, including ultra-fine fraction (UFF) surveys, will now be undertaken across these key anomaly areas to support drill targeting. Subject to results and regulatory approval, reconnaissance RC or aircore drilling may follow.
Exploration Momentum Builds Across Portfolio
The company also plans to recommence drilling this week at its Yundamindra Project, located near Tier-1 operations like Sunrise Dam and Granny Smith. The project has already delivered encouraging intercepts, including 35.76m at 2.14 g/t gold from 104.27m at the Pennyweight Point prospect.
Shares in Arika are up 43% year-to-date, supported by exploration success and a recent $5 million capital raise.
At Kookynie, the next steps include systematic infill and extensional sampling at both high- and lower-priority anomaly zones. If results confirm the mineralised potential, electrical geophysics and reconnaissance drilling will follow.
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