REG - ECR Minerals PLC - Blue Mountain drilling results & operations update

ECR MineralsAnnouncement

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RNS Number : 2898L  ECR Minerals PLC  12 December 2025

 

 

12 December 2025

 

ECR MINERALS PLC

 

("ECR Minerals", "ECR" or the "Company")

 

Strong new drill results expand alluvial gold footprint at Blue Mountain

and

visible gold and near-term production potential confirmed

 

ECR Minerals plc (AIM: ECR), the exploration and development company focused
on gold in Australia, is pleased to report a highly encouraging set of
alluvial drilling results from its Blue Mountain Project ("Blue Mountain") in
Central Queensland. These drilling results continue to strengthen the case for
near-term, low-cost alluvial gold production, with the drilling results
confirming visible coarse gold and the expansion of multiple unmined
gold-bearing creek flats.

 

Highlights

·    Visible coarse gold recorded in multiple drill samples from the newly
identified Upper Kariboe Creek alluvial flat.

·      Continuity of mineralisation now mapped across approximately 250
metres of strike, with widths ranging from 6 to 35 metres.

·     Grades exceeding the 0.15 g/b.c.m cut-off returned via 19
intersections, including standout results up to 6.52 g/b.c.m, typically
indicating the presence of nuggety near-source gold.

·    Wash-plant trial work at the Lower Patterson area continues to
demonstrate practical mining grades averaging 0.35g/b.c.m, considered
favourable to grades in operating alluvial mines across North Queensland.

·    Multiple areas now identified as potential start-up gold production
zones, including Lower Patterson, Upper Kariboe, Windmill and Roan Colt.

 

ECR's Chief Geologist, Adam Jones, commented: "These are some of the most
encouraging alluvial results we've seen from Blue Mountain to date. Not only
have we mapped a continuous gold-bearing corridor across the new Upper Kariboe
Creek flat, we are now also consistently seeing visible coarse gold in
multiple samples. That is always an exciting moment for a geologist, as
coarse, nuggety particles typically indicate that you are close to the source
and that the system has real strength.

 

"Our drilling has delivered far more than we initially expected. We set out to
understand the gold trail and the host gravels, but the results are now giving
us a clear picture of multiple unmined zones that have the potentiual to
translate into a near-term alluvial production opportunity. The combination of
strong drill grades, visible gold and the successful wash-plant trials at
Lower Patterson is building genuine confidence that Blue Mountain has the
scale and quality to support a commercially viable start-up operation."

 

Summary of Drilling Program

A total of 264 shallow drill holes were completed in August 2025 across the
Upper Kariboe and Denny Gully areas. The objective was to identify shallow,
mineable alluvial gold deposits suitable for cost-efficient production.

 

Each hole was drilled from surface to bedrock, with samples collected every
metre and assessed for gold content, material type and the presence of visible
gold. Concentrated gravel samples were fire-assayed at On-Site Laboratory
Services in Bendigo, and gold recovered was used to estimate grammes of gold
per bank cubic metre (b.c.m) - which is considered to be the industry standard
measure for alluvial mining viability.

 

Inevitably, gold particle size and distribution varies in alluvial systems,
but the drilling campaign has provided a clear, reliable picture of the gold
trail, allowing ECR to identify high-priority potential production zones with
growing confidence.

 

Latest Drill Results

These results come from a previously untested, unmined creek flat at Upper
Kariboe Creek (See Table 1 and Figure 1). This area is now emerging as one of
the strongest alluvial targets in the project to date and, as a consequence,
represents a further potential extension of the potential production zones in
the project area.

 

Key outcomes:

·      19 samples above the 0.15 g/b.c.m cut-off, ranging from 0.16
g/b.c.m up to 6.52 g/b.c.m

·      Multiple high-grade intersections contain coarse, nuggety gold,
suggesting proximity to a primary source

·    Mineralisation appears to form a continuous, mineable corridor
approximately 230 metres long, with widths between 6 - 35 metres

·     This is the first area where ECR has confirmed larger visible gold
particles, representing a significant step forward in confidence

 

Table 1. Alluvial Drill Results for Significant Intercepts and Depths of Zones
Tested (@ cut off => 0.15 g/b.c.m)

 

 Traverse    HOLE    FROM (metres)  TO (metres)  DRILLING INTERVAL (metres)  SAMPLEID  Au (ppm)  Au (mg)  Estimated average grade of mineralisation grammes per b.c.m
 Section 28  S28H5   6              7            1                           BMDC328   1600      67.7     6.52
 Section 29  S29H6   6              7            1                           BMDC357   2380      58.7     5.65
 Section 27  S27H12  6              7            1                           BMDC312   1630      40.5     3.90
 Section 27  S27H1   3              4            1                           BMDC374   1170      33.1     3.19
 Section 33  S33H2   5              6            1                           BMDC398   894       27.8     2.68
 Section 29  S29H5   5              6            1                           BMDC353   835       26.9     2.59
 Section 27  S27H4   4              5            1                           BMDC383   696       13.3     1.28
 Section 29  S29H7   5              6            1                           BMDC360   334       12.5     1.20
 Section 31  S31H2   1              2            1                           BMDC431   344       11.8     1.14
 Section 32  S32H1   3              4            1                           BMDC461   188       7.02     0.68
 Section 27  S27H3   5              6            1                           BMDC380   442       6.76     0.65
 Section 30  S30H5   5              6            1                           BMDC417   136       5.51     0.53
 Section 29  S29H8   5              6            1                           BMDC363   88.1      3.95     0.38
 Section 29  S29H10  6              7            1                           BMDC369   103       3.5      0.34
 Section 33  S33H5   5              6            1                           BMDC407   108       3        0.29
 Section 32  S32H5   5              6            1                           BMDC476   53.1      2.39     0.23
 Section 27  S27H11  6              7            1                           BMDC309   116       2.1      0.20
 Section 33  S33H1   5              6            1                           BMDC395   60.9      1.68     0.16
 Section 28  S28H4   5              6            1                           BMDC323   47.7      1.66     0.16

 

Figure 1. Overview of Target Areas, Blue Mountain, EPM27183.

 

 

Wash Plant Trials (Lower Patterson)

To validate drill grades under more real-world conditions, four bulk samples
were run through a trial wash plant at Lower Patterson (See Table 2 and Figure
2). These tests simulated future production and confirmed highly recoverable
gold values.

 

Key results:

·      Average trial grade: 0.35 g/b.c.m

·      Consistent recovery across all samples, including those taken
from drill-defined zones

·      Coarse gold observed during processing

·      Trial grades are considered favourable to third-party established
alluvial operations currently running across North Queensland

 

Taken together, the drilling and wash-plant outcomes reinforce Lower Patterson
as a commercially attractive start-up mining area, with potential for
near-term development.

 

Table 2. Trial Wash Plant Results from the Lower Patterson Area (Locations
referenced in Figure 1).

 Location               Volume Processed (b.c.m)  Recovered Gold (grams)  Estimated Grade Wash Plant Trial (Au/b.c.m)  Indicated Drill Grade (Au/b.c.m)
 A                      1.25                      0.52                    0.42                                         N/A
 B                      1.0                       0.49                    0.49                                         N/A
 C (Section 1 Hole 1)   1.0                       0.23                    0.23                                         1.14
 D (Section 1 Hole 10)  1.0                       0.26                    0.26                                         0.49
 TOTAL                  4.25                      1.5                     0.35 (Average trial grade)

 

Figure 2. Coarse gold particle size, Lower Patterson Area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peripheral Drilling - Expansion of Target Area

Drill traverses at Windmill, Roan Colt and upper Dennys Gully have been
completed, with further assay results pending in due course. Visible gold was
noted during the preparation of several samples, and management anticipates
that these areas may further increase the overall footprint with potential for
near-term development. Of particular significance is drilling west of the
original Lower Patterson flat.

 

Many of these peripheral areas show no evidence of historic mining, meaning
ECR is the first to systematically test and map their gold potential.

 

Review of Announcement by Qualified Person

 

This announcement has been reviewed by Adam Jones, Chief Geologist at ECR
Minerals Plc. Adam Jones is a professional geologist and is a Member of
the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG). He is a qualified person
as that term is defined by the AIM Note for Mining, Oil and Gas Companies.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

 

 ECR Minerals Plc                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Tel: +44 (0) 20 8080 8176
 Nick Tulloch, Chairman                                                                                                                                                                                                                             info@ecrminerals.com (mailto:info@ecrminerals.com)

 Andrew Scott, Director

 Website: www.ecrminerals.com
 (http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecrminerals.com%2F&esheet=51817334&newsitemid=20180605005810&lan=en-US&anchor=www.ecrminerals.com&index=1&md5=820ad49dc1fc2c84a0538453c017bc1b)

 Allenby Capital Limited                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Tel: +44 (0) 3328 5656
 Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker                                                                                                                                                                                                                 info@allenbycapital.com (mailto:info@allenbycapital.com)

 Alex Brearley / Nick Naylor / Vivek Bhardwaj (Corporate Finance)

 Kelly Gardiner (Sales and Corporate Broking)

 Axis Capital Markets Limited                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Tel: +44 (0) 203 026 0320
 Joint Broker
 Lewis Jones

 SI Capital Ltd                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Tel: +44 (0) 1483 413500
 Joint Broker
 Nick Emerson

 Brand Communications                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Tel: +44 (0) 7976 431608
 Public & Investor Relations
 Alan Green

 

ABOUT ECR MINERALS PLC

 

ECR Minerals is a mineral exploration and development company operating
through two wholly owned Australian subsidiaries ECR Minerals (Australia) Pty
Ltd ("ECR Australia") and ECR Minerals (Queensland) Pty Ltd ("ECR
Queensland").

 

ECR Australia owns the Bailieston and Creswick gold projects in central
Victoria, Australia as well as the Tambo gold project in eastern Victoria.

 

ECR Queensland has two approved exploration permits over the Blue Mountain
alluvial gold project in central Queensland, Australia, which it is currently
working to bring into production.  It also has three approved exploration
permits covering 946 km(2) over a relatively unexplored area in Lolworth Range
in northern Queensland. Furthermore, ECR Queensland has also submitted a
licence application at Kondaparinga which is approximately 120km(2) in area
and located within the Hodgkinson Gold Province, 80km NW of Mareeba, North
Queensland.

 

Following the sale of the Avoca, Moormbool and Timor gold projects in
Victoria, Australia to Fosterville South Exploration Ltd (TSX-V: FSX) and the
subsequent spin-out of the Avoca and Timor projects to Leviathan Gold Ltd
(TSX-V: LVX), ECR Australia has the right to receive up to A$2 million in
payments subject to future resource estimation or production from these
projects.

 

ECR Australia also has approximately A$75 million of unutilised tax losses
incurred during previous operations.

 

Glossary

 

 Au:     Gold
 b.c.m:  Bank cubic metres (Metric)
 g:      Grammes (Metric)
 kg:     Kilogrammes (Metric)
 km:     Kilometres (Metric)
 km²:    Kilometre squared (Metric)
 M:      Metres (Metric)

 

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