The Blue Lake Porphyry Project is a significant gold-copper discovery within K92 Mining’s highly prospective Kainantu region in Papua New Guinea. Located just 4 km southwest of the high-grade, producing Kainantu Gold Mine, Blue Lake represents a large-scale, well-mineralized porphyry system with substantial growth potential. The maiden Inferred Resource of 10.8 Moz AuEq / 4.7 Blbs CuEq makes it one of the most significant porphyry discoveries in Papua New Guinea, ranking among the country's largest known mineralized porphyries.
Initially identified in 2017 from rock samples collected by a local landowner, Blue Lake was later confirmed as a porphyry system through soil sampling and drilling campaigns. The first drill hole, completed in 2019, marking the start of an extensive exploration program. A second drill phase in 2020 further defined the system, leading to the current large-scale resource estimate. Notably, Blue Lake was efficiently defined with only 16,475 metres of drilling, achieving a discovery rate of approximately 650 oz AuEq per metre drilled—a testament to the effectiveness of K92’s exploration team.
Drilling at Blue Lake has outlined a large tonalite porphyry stock, characterized by multiple overprinting intrusions that are variably mineralized with gold and copper. The highest grades are associated with a potassic alteration core, containing quartz stockwork veins, biotite, K-feldspar, and bornite/chalcopyrite mineralization. The mineralized porphyry is concentrically zoned and tilted towards the northwest, with mineralization open to depth and to the southwest—highlighting the potential for further expansion.
Importantly, Blue Lake is just one of several porphyry targets in the Kainantu region. In Papua New Guinea, porphyry systems tend to occur in clusters, and K92 has identified at least five additional porphyry targets near Blue Lake, with the A1 Prospect being the next high-priority porphyry focus. As K92 advances its multi-pronged exploration strategy—targeting both porphyry and intrusion-related gold-copper systems—Blue Lake is expected to play a key role in the future growth of K92 Mining.