Initial results point to an expansion of the mineralised footprint for Titan Minerals Ltd at the Linderos Copper Project in southern Ecuador, with joint venture partner Hanrine Ecuadorian Exploration and Mining SA (Hanrine), a subsidiary of Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd, confirming the presence of a large-scale porphyry copper system.
“We are very pleased to share the first round of encouraging results from drilling completed by Hanrine at our Linderos JV Project,” Titan CEO Melanie Leighton said.
Expanded porphyry footprint
“The results have confirmed our belief that the Copper Ridge porphyry system is of significant scale, with drilling testing porphyry mineralisation over 1 kilometre of strike and down to 1 kilometre depth, doubling the previous drill defined porphyry footprint, remaining open in all directions.”
Hanrine, which is managing and fully funding a 10,000-metre diamond drilling campaign under the second earn-in milestone of the joint venture agreement, has drilled seven deep diamond holes to date.
“We are very happy to be partnered with Hanrine, who have proven their dedication to expediting their exploration drilling at Linderos, and their ability to deliver meaningful results.
“Together, we look forward to delivering further results, the completion of Earn-in Milestone 2 and the commencement of Milestone 3, as we work toward unveiling the true potential of the Linderos Copper Project.”
Results from the first four holes confirm the presence of the porphyry copper at the Copper Ridge prospect, with mineralisation now defined over a 1-kilometre strike length and down to 1 kilometre depth, almost doubling the previously delineated mineralised zone.
Key results include:
- 735 metres at 0.23% copper equivalent (Cu Eq) from 385 metres, including 51 metres at 0.37% Cu Eq from 622.8 metres in hole DHCR-02;
- 398 metres at 0.24% Cu Eq from 420 metres, including 178 metres at 0.30% Cu Eq from 453.5 metres in DHCR-01; and
- 367 metres at 0.24% Cu Eq from 246 metres in DHCR-04.
Drilling has thus far focused on testing lateral and vertical extensions to Titan’s 2023 program, which previously picked out mineralisation across a 500 metre by 750 metre area to depths of 400 metres.
Open in all directions
The expanded footprint supports a reinterpretation of the porphyry system’s geometry, suggesting a northwest-southeast orientation along a structural corridor.
Hanrine’s drill orientation, guided by structural and geochemical analysis, targeted zones of potassic alteration and vein-dense porphyry phases, with mineralisation remaining open in all directions.
Elevated molybdenum values were observed at the margins of the copper-gold system and in deeper intra-late porphyry phases.
The ongoing program aims to complete the 10,000-metre requirement for Earn-in Milestone 2, with further drilling planned to test extensions to the southeast and northwest, including areas beneath the adjacent Meseta epithermal gold prospect.
More assay results are expected in the coming months as Hanrine progresses towards the third milestone – consisting of a further 5,000 metres of drilling or US$12 million in total expenditure.
