Catalina Resources (ASX:CTN) adds a second RC rig to accelerate Evanston and Yerilgee drilling

Catalina Resources has commenced operations with a second reverse circulation (RC) drilling rig across its Evanston and Yerilgee Gold Projects in the Central Yilgarn region of Western Australia, expanding capacity within its Phase 1 drilling program.

The company says the additional rig enables accelerated drilling across multiple priority targets in parallel, while assay results from current programs remain pending and will be integrated with geological modelling to guide follow up drilling.

Highlights

• A second RC drilling rig has commenced operations at the Evanston and Yerilgee Projects as part of Catalina’s ~20000m drilling program.

• The additional rig enables accelerated drilling across multiple priority targets in parallel.

• Assay results from ongoing drilling programs remain pending and will be integrated with geological modelling to guide follow up drilling.

The start up of the second rig sits within Catalina’s Phase 1 exploration program across Evanston and Yerilgee, where the company is targeting a series of structurally and geochemically defined prospects along the Evanston and Yerilgee corridors.

The intent, as described by the company, is to progress drilling efficiently across priority targets while ensuring that incoming analytical results are incorporated into the geological interpretation in a way that informs subsequent drilling decisions.

Phase 1 comprises approximately 8000m of planned RC and aircore (AC) drilling across a number of priority targets. At Evanston, Catalina has identified Leghorn, Viper South and T1B as priority targets, while at Yerilgee the listed targets include T8, Chicken Little and Snowflake.

By adding a second rig, Catalina says it can progress multiple priority targets concurrently across both project areas, reflecting the number and quality of targets identified through recent geological interpretation, in field observations and target definition work.

The company’s sampling protocol is structured around continuous collection, with samples taken on a metre by metre basis and submitted for laboratory analysis on a rolling basis.

With assays still pending, the company’s stated next step is to integrate those results into geological modelling once received, using that work to support target refinement and guide subsequent drilling programs.

Catalina Executive Director Ross Cotton framed the operational impact in direct terms, linking the second rig to both pace and workflow integration:

“The commencement of a second RC rig materially increases our ability to progress priority targets across Evanston and Yerilgee in parallel. This additional capacity allows us to advance drilling efficiently while ensuring assay results are rapidly incorporated into geological models to inform follow up drilling decisions.”

The emphasis is on parallel execution across the two project areas and on shortening the time between drilling activity, receipt of laboratory results, and model updates that can be used for follow up planning.

In corporate terms, the announcement is primarily about execution and sequencing rather than outcomes, with the company explicitly noting that assay results are pending.

The operational expansion, via a second rig, is presented as a means to advance multiple targets at the same time during Phase 1, while maintaining a process where assays are continuously submitted and then integrated into modelling to refine targets and shape the next round of drilling.

For investors, the near term focus is therefore on the steady progression of drilling across the named targets, the delivery of assays, and the way those results are incorporated into geological models to guide follow up drilling across the Evanston and Yerilgee corridors.

Please note the following valuable information before using this website. 

Independent Research 

Market Open Australia is intended to be used only for educational and informative purposes, and any information on this website should not be taken as investment advice or guidance. It is important to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions, which should be based on your own investment needs and personal circumstances. Any investment decisions based on information contained on this website should be taken in line with independent financial advice from a qualified professional or should be independently researched and verified.