Novo Resources Targets High-Grade Gold Zones at Tibooburra’s Clone Prospect

Highlight

• Novo Resources Corp (ASX:NVO) to commence RC drilling at Clone prospect in April 2025, focusing on 2,000 metres along the Clone Thrust.
• Surface exploration results include high-grade rock chips (up to 89.6 g/t gold) and coherent soil anomalies.
• Historical drilling intersected shallow high-grade mineralisation, with potential for deeper ‘blind’ gold discoveries.

Novo Resources Corp (ASX:NVO) is advancing exploration efforts at the Clone prospect within its Tibooburra Gold Project in northwestern New South Wales. The company is preparing for a 2,000-metre reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign targeting structurally hosted high-grade gold mineralisation. The Clone prospect has emerged as a high-priority area due to robust surface sampling results and historical drilling intercepts that suggest the presence of a significant mineralised system.

The Tibooburra Gold Project is located in the underexplored Koonenberry Belt, where previous exploration campaigns have revealed high-grade gold zones within structurally controlled settings. The upcoming RC program will specifically target a 700-metre strike length along the Clone Thrust—a structurally defined mineralised trend hosting both coherent gold-in-soil anomalies and high-grade rock chip results.

Recent exploration activity over a three-week reconnaissance campaign has delivered compelling results. Soil sampling delineated a strong, coherent anomaly measuring approximately 600 metres in length and up to 250 metres in width. Peak gold values reached 1,585 parts per billion (ppb) and 1,440 ppb, supporting the hypothesis of an underlying mineralised system. In parallel, rock chip sampling revealed exceptionally high gold grades, including 89.6 grams per tonne (g/t) and 41.9 g/t from mullock dumps, alongside 31.4 g/t and 10.4 g/t from quartz vein outcrops.

Historical reverse circulation drilling conducted in 2023 by Manhattan Corporation Limited (ASX:MHC) at the Clone prospect yielded multiple high-grade intercepts at shallow depths. Notable results included 7 metres at 7.23 g/t gold from 81 metres and 9 metres at 6.03 g/t gold from 16 metres. These intersections confirm the presence of a high-grade mineralised system with shallow dips and lateral continuity. Importantly, mineralisation remains open in all directions and trends under cover towards the south, where the geological setting remains prospective for up to 15 kilometres—highlighting the potential for blind discoveries.

Novo Resources Corp has secured an option to earn a 70% interest in the Tibooburra tenements via a staged earn-in agreement with Manhattan Corporation. This arrangement allows Novo to progressively fund exploration in exchange for equity, aligning both parties toward the advancement of the asset. With heritage clearance recently completed, Novo has secured unrestricted access to the site, paving the way for immediate commencement of drill site preparations.

The Clone Thrust is interpreted as a structurally favourable corridor capable of hosting significant gold mineralisation. The area’s geological architecture, combined with existing geochemical anomalies and rock chip data, supports the design of the upcoming RC drill program. The 2,000-metre campaign is expected to test several high-priority targets identified during the recent mapping and sampling phase.

The broader Tibooburra region is gaining attention as a potential emerging gold camp, particularly due to its geological similarities with major gold-bearing provinces. Novo Resources Corp aims to capitalise on this potential by executing a focused drilling campaign that tests the structural and geochemical continuity of the Clone Thrust mineralisation. With multiple layers of supportive exploration data and a history of strong drill intercepts, the Clone prospect is positioned as a key growth driver within the company’s Australian gold exploration portfolio.

The exploration strategy for the remainder of 2025 will revolve around systematic testing of Clone and adjacent targets within the Tibooburra tenements. Additional drilling phases may be considered depending on the results of the upcoming program. The region’s underexplored nature, coupled with structural complexity and high-grade intercepts, offers substantial upside potential for further discovery and resource definition.

The initiation of drilling at Clone is expected to mark a significant milestone in unlocking the gold potential of the Tibooburra Project. With field preparations underway and a high-grade target corridor identified, the RC drilling campaign is anticipated to contribute critical data toward delineating a potentially large-scale gold system in a historically overlooked region of New South Wales.