Barrick narrows Ja gold hunt to three target areas as drilling nears

Global mining giant Barrick Mining Corporation said its focusing on three areas in Jamaica to explore ahead of drilling considerations.

“In Jamaica, exploration is focused on three prioritised camp-scale areas targeting epithermal gold and porphyry copper-gold systems,” Barrick stated in its quarterly management discussion and analysis. The filing, covering the three months ended March, classified Jamaica alongside Peru under the company’s South America and Asia Pacific regional exploration portfolio, noting that “early-stage exploration activities continued in Peru and Jamaica”.

The disclosure marks a step up from the reconnaissance-level work Barrick described a year ago, as it planned to “progress it towards drill-ready status in the first half of 2026”.

The work builds on a 2024 earn-in agreement with Geophysx Jamaica Limited that grants Barrick access to roughly 4,000 square kilometres of consolidated land positions – an area the company has compared geologically to the Dominican Republic, where its Pueblo Viejo mine produces more than 350,000 ounces of gold a year. The Financial Gleaner awaits responses to queries sent to Geophysx founder Robert Stewart on prospects for drilling.

Barrick budgeted over US$320 million for global exploration and evaluation in 2026, with Jamaica among a slate of frontier programmes spanning Canada, Ecuador, Egypt, Peru, and Senegal.

The partnership aims to diversify the mining of metals outside of the established bauxite sector.

business@gleanerjm.com