Aguia Resources Launches Drilling to Unlock Santa Barbara’s Gold Potential

Drilling Commences at Santa Barbara

Aguia Resources Limited has commenced a significant surface diamond drilling program at its Santa Barbara Gold Project in Colombia. The initial phase involves 25 drill holes totaling approximately 2,500 metres, designed to test the strike and dip continuity of known gold mineralisation within the Santa Barbara and Mariana vein systems. This marks a critical step towards delineating a maiden JORC-compliant resource and advancing the project towards potential production.

Strategic Geological Approach

The drilling campaign is informed by an in-house structural interpretation that identifies a northerly oriented extensional fault system, described as a "domino-style" faulting pattern. This geological model suggests that the Santa Barbara main vein is the upper extension of the Mariana vein, offset by faulting. By targeting these offset blocks, Aguia aims to confirm the continuity and repetition of mineralised veins, which could significantly increase the known vein inventory.

Dual Focus: Resource Definition and Exploration

The program has two primary objectives. First, resource definition drilling will focus on the Santa Barbara vein system to support a maiden resource estimate and underpin preliminary underground development plans. Most drill holes are planned to be less than 100 metres deep, targeting the Santa Barbara vein and the secondary Vein #2. Second, exploration drilling will seek additional mineralisation in parallel vein sets and along strike beyond the current development footprint, potentially expanding the project’s resource base.

Early Signs and Future Potential

Preliminary surface prospecting and trenching have already identified artisanal workings and high-grade gold occurrences consistent with the geological model. The discovery of shallow artisanal tunnels extending the vein system to the southwest is particularly encouraging. Executive Chairman Warwick Grigor highlighted the speculative upside, referencing an earlier exploration target estimate of 2-4 million tonnes at 20-30 grams per tonne gold. Demonstrating mineralisation continuity could be transformative for the project’s valuation and development trajectory.

Next Steps and Market Implications

As drilling progresses, Aguia plans to adjust platforms and drill hole locations based on emerging data, with the potential to add further rigs to accelerate the program. The company also intends to continue surface reconnaissance and trenching to refine the geological model and identify new drill targets. Investors will be watching closely for assay results and the eventual maiden resource estimate, which could mark a pivotal moment for the Santa Barbara Gold Project and Aguia’s positioning in the Colombian gold exploration sector.