Catalina Resources (ASX:CTN) secures Pilbara project while Laverton assays point to gold system potential

Catalina Resources (ASX:CTN) has unveiled a dual-track update that advances its exploration footprint across two of Western Australia’s most productive gold provinces.

The company has reached agreement to acquire the Beasley Creek Project in the Pilbara while also reporting early reverse circulation assay results from the Halo prospect at its Laverton Gold Project.

Highlights

Pilbara entry through Beasley Creek

The Beasley Creek licence sits 60 kilometres west of Tom Price and close to the former Paulsens gold operation, a mine that delivered more than 900,000 ounces at an average grade of 7.3 grams a tonne between 2005 and 2017.

Catalina’s acquisition provides the company with its first district-scale position in the Pilbara and complements its holdings in the Yilgarn and Laverton.

Two exploration models underpin the rationale for the acquisition.

Archean greenstone sequences have demonstrated structurally controlled gold anomalism, while the Hardey Formation unconformity offers conglomerate-style potential across a 16-kilometre corridor.

Historical programs produced intersections such as 4m at 11.5 g/t Au and delineated multiple anomalous corridors. Importantly, the area has not seen systematic drilling since the late 1990s.

The acquisition delivers Catalina Resources an extensive exploration database, including over 1,300 surface samples, 2,323 line-kilometres of reprocessed aeromagnetic and radiometric surveys, and detailed mapping.

This provides a foundation for immediate reinterpretation and drill targeting without the delays often associated with early-stage tenure.

Executive Director Ross Cotton described the strategic fit:

“The Beasley Creek Project displays all the growth-centric characteristics we look for in an early-stage asset: clear geological rationale, defined anomalies, limited modern drilling; meaning plenty of scope for rapid, value-adding work.”

Laverton assays reinforce Halo potential

At the Halo Project in Laverton, assays from three of ten completed drill holes confirm a mineralised system within a weathered dolerite package characterised by carbonate and sericite alteration.

The results include shallow hits of 17m at 0.90 g/t Au from 44m in LVRC06 and deeper intersections of 2m at 3.79 g/t Au from 190m and 5m at 2.62 g/t Au from 217m in LVRC07.

These intercepts complement earlier work that delivered results such as 28m at 1.09 g/t Au from 57m and 18m at 1.16 g/t Au from 126m.

Mineralisation remains open both along strike and at depth, suggesting continuity within the broader Barnicoat Shear Zone, a corridor that also hosts known deposits such as Mon Ami, Ida H and the larger Granny Smith and Sunrise Dam operations.

The project is well located, with access to haul roads, transport routes and existing processing facilities, creating multiple options for future development pathways.

A further 1,140 drill samples are awaiting assay, with petrographic studies planned to better characterise host lithologies and alteration assemblages.

Catalina is pursuing a deliberate strategy of acquiring and testing prospective ground across Western Australia’s most productive districts.

The Beasley Creek acquisition adds a Pilbara foothold with multiple discovery pathways and an immediate exploration dataset, while the Halo results provide early validation of Laverton’s potential within a proven structural corridor.

With assays pending and systematic drilling yet to commence at Beasley Creek, the coming months will be pivotal in defining the scale of both opportunities.

For now, the company has placed itself in the position of a multi-district explorer with exposure to two of the state’s cornerstone gold provinces.