A site visit to the Mt Turner Gold and Copper Project in Queensland marks a key milestone for Lightning Minerals Ltd (ASX:L1M) ahead of a planned 1,000-metre phase one drill program. The visit confirmed multiple high-potential gold targets beneath existing pits and along the 14-kilometre Drummer Fault. Soil sampling is currently underway and drilling is set to begin following the company’s upcoming extraordinary general meeting (EGM).
The site visit included Lightning managing director Alex Biggs, exploration manager Matthew Watson and Lotus Minerals exploration manager Cerith Frame.
“We have had a great visit to Mt Turner this week,” Biggs said. “It’s always good to get on the ground of our projects and get the technical team together to discuss ideas. We really like the potential that Mt Turner presents for the company, but getting on the ground has made us realise how many targets there are over such a broad area.
“This region is highly prospective and relatively underexplored by modern techniques as well as consistently explored over time. Historic mining across the leases provides us with clear starting points for our phase one drilling program, which will begin post our EGM in the coming weeks. Having a brownfields project with the number of targets that we see at Mt Turner is a very exciting opportunity for the company and what we see as a strong near-term catalyst. Having exposure to the strong gold and copper markets at present is a very positive step for the company and one we see potentially provides our shareholders with a rewarding and exciting opportunity in the coming months and beyond.”
Site visit confirms targets and program design
The technical team inspected planned drill sites along the Drummer Fault, including existing pits such as Rocky Reward, Drummer Girl, Drummer Boy, Drummer West and Drummer East. These pits were excavated to shallow depths of around 20 metres in the 1990s, with little follow-up exploration beyond 100 metres. The proposed phase one drill program aims to test the extensions and orientation of mineralisation at depth and along strike.
Indicative drill targeting at the Mt Turner Gold Project – Drummer Deposits (Digital Terrain Model showing existing open pits, previous drill locations and planned drill hole locations).
Indicative drill targeting at the Mt Turner Gold Project – Rocky Reward Deposit (Digital Terrain Model showing existing open pits, previous drill locations and planned drill hole locations).
Additional fieldwork also identified further potential targets outside the current drilling plan. These areas are now part of an ongoing soil sampling campaign that will inform future exploration programs across the tenements.
A systematic soil sampling campaign is progressing along the Drummer Hill Fault System to identify coherent linear gold anomalies between known open pits. Spanning 12.5 kilometres of strike, the program is collecting samples at 20-metre intervals along 100-metre-spaced fence lines. Early observations have revealed encouraging signs and new areas of interest.
Historical drilling confirms near-surface high grades
Historical mining and drilling has returned several significant gold and silver intercepts at shallow depths. Results include:
- 16 metres at 3.56 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Hole UMDT95_D04)
- 12 metres at 6.5 g/t gold (Hole UMDT95_D03)
- 7 metres at 1.7 g/t gold and 43 g/t silver from 64 metres (Hole 21ISMDWRC001)
- 3 metres at 5.1 g/t gold and 51 g/t silver from 83 metres (Hole DH2)
These intercepts support the high-grade, near-surface potential of the project and have guided the design of the upcoming drill program.
About the Mt Turner Project
Located 15 kilometres northwest of Georgetown in North Queensland, the Mt Turner Project comprises granted exploration permits EPM 27170 and EPM 27525. The Drummer Fault structure, extending 14 kilometres, is readily identifiable in LiDAR and satellite imagery and hosts multiple historical workings.
Exploration to date has been limited, particularly at depth. The project is prospective for orogenic and epithermal gold as well as porphyry-style copper-gold mineralisation. The acquisition of Lotus Minerals, which holds the project, remains subject to shareholder approval.