Manhattan Gold Corp Ltd (ASX:MHC, OTC:MHTZF, FRA:32U) has expanded its Hook Lake Project footprint by securing six new mineral claims covering an additional 81km² within the Kaminak Greenstone Belt, located about 30 kilometres west of its existing project area.
The move materially increases the company’s exposure to a highly prospective and underexplored gold belt, with the new ground hosting what has been described as the largest gold-in-till anomaly in the region. Importantly, this anomaly remains untested by drilling, highlighting the potential for new discoveries.
Hook Lake Project.
For Manhattan, the expansion is more than just an increase in landholding—it represents a step toward establishing a broader, district-scale exploration position. The acquisition is part of a strategy to become a “regional player” in the greenstone belt, leveraging low-cost claim staking to secure high-upside targets.
“Securing these further claims is part of the company’s plan to become a regional player within this underexplored greenstone belt. Acquisition through staking of mineral claims comes at relatively low cost to the company, with exceptional upside for the discovery of additional gold deposits,” Manhattan Gold Technical Advisor Eric Sondergaard said.
“Initial sampling results, highlighting anomalous gold values over 7m of outcrop, are highly encouraging. Assay results up to 16.6g/t on surface, over 650m from the discovery zone highlights the broader scale potential of the system.
“With the high resolution airborne magnetic survey set to resume shortly, we expect to rapidly refine additional targets across both the existing project are and these newly acquired claims. Follow up work is planned to progress this to a drill-ready target alongside the maiden drilling campaign at the Hook Lake Project.”
Evidence of mineralised system extends beyond existing targets
Historical work across the newly acquired claims supports the geological potential of the area, with surface sampling returning high-grade gold results, including up to 16.6g/t Au and channel sampling highlighting mineralisation across multiple zones.
Historic rock chip sampling results.
Notably, mineralisation has been identified over significant distances from the original discovery zone, suggesting the presence of a broader hydrothermal system rather than an isolated occurrence. This expands the exploration opportunity beyond discrete targets and reinforces the potential for multiple deposits within the enlarged project area.
The newly acquired ground is expected to play a key role in building Manhattan’s pipeline of drill targets. The company is integrating historical data with ongoing exploration, including an expanded high-resolution airborne magnetic survey, to refine structural interpretations and prioritise targets.
The goal is to generate drill-ready targets across both the existing Hook Lake tenure and the newly added claims, effectively increasing the scale and longevity of exploration activity at the project.
Next steps: drilling, surveys and target generation
Manhattan is advancing toward active exploration, with several near-term steps outlined:
Maiden reverse circulation (RC) drilling at Hook Lake scheduled to begin in April 2026
Continuation and expansion of airborne magnetic surveys across the enlarged project area
Field programs including geological mapping and surface sampling
Integration of datasets to define and prioritise drill targets across the expanded footprint
The newly secured claims will be incorporated into this workflow, with the aim of progressing them alongside existing prospects toward drilling.
Positioning for discovery at scale
With a larger land package, multiple mineralised trends and systematic exploration underway, Manhattan is positioning Hook Lake as a district-scale gold opportunity. The expansion increases both the number of potential targets and the likelihood of identifying additional deposits, setting the stage for sustained exploration activity and potential discovery-driven growth.