Antipa Minerals Ltd (ASX:AZY) has delivered more standout assay results from its 100%-owned Minyari Gold-Copper Project in Western Australia’s Paterson Province, reinforcing the deposit’s potential as both a development and discovery hub.
The latest drilling returned some of the best intersections to date, including 12 metres at 16.7 g/t gold and 0.13% copper from 143 metres down hole, with a standout 1 metre grading 176.5 g/t gold and 1% copper. Another hole cut 18 metres at 2.7 g/t gold and 0.49% copper from 275 metres, with a high-grade section of 2 metres at 17.3 g/t gold and 2.49% copper.
These results form part of Antipa’s CY2025 Phase 1 program, which has so far drilled nearly 36,000 metres across the Minyari Dome and surrounding anomalies.
Plan of the central region of Antipa’s Minyari Project: Showing advanced gold ± copper greenfield targets and existing prospects, within a 65km corridor which extends approximately 35km northwest and 30km southeast of the Minyari Dome development opportunity, which have been evaluated during the CY2025 Phase 1 air core ± RC drill programme.
Building a foundation for growth
Resource definition drilling at both the Minyari and WACA deposits has confirmed continuity of wide gold-copper zones. Highlights include:
- 31.8 metres at 1.5 g/t gold and 0.53% copper from 109.2 metres at Minyari.
- 69 metres at 0.8 g/t gold and 0.11% copper from 133 metres at WACA.
- 30 metres at 1.0 g/t gold and 0.05% copper from 232 metres at WACA.
Map showing southern region of the Minyari Dome: Includes contoured maximum down-hole gold drill results, resource locations, 2024 Scoping Study open pit design limits, and deposit/prospect locations (including Minyari South, GEO-01 Main Zone, Fiama, Minella and Rizzo). Note the gold-copper discovery intersections across a large area (800m by 700m) indicating that Rizzo and Fiama may be connected and extending mineralisation 500m to the south into an area which Antipa’s access to was previously prevented by the Paterson IGO Farm-in Project (tenement) boundary.
These intersections add confidence ahead of an updated mineral resource estimate (MRE), scheduled for October, and underpin the ongoing pre-feasibility study (PFS) workstreams. Roughly 92% of PFS resource definition drilling is now complete.
Discovery potential to the north
Exploration is also unlocking significant discovery opportunities beyond the core Minyari Dome. Broad-spaced air core drilling across the Reaper-Poblano-Serrano (RPS) trend, about 30 kilometres north, has defined gold-copper anomalies stretching more than 6 kilometres. Results include 82 metres at 0.2 g/t gold from 8 metres, with higher-grade sections of 20 metres at 0.5 g/t gold.
Map of Reaper-Poblano-Serrano (RPS): Showing contoured maximum down-hole gold (ppb) drill results and gold-copper-silver drill intercepts over grayscale aeromagnetic image. Note the 2km long by up to 250m wide Poblano-Serrano gold-copper-bismuth Phase 1 air core anomaly which remains open along strike. Assay results for all Phase 1 Reaper gold-copper zone, located 120m east of Poblano, remain outstanding. Mineralisation is hosted by siliceous metasediments with lesser meta-dolerite beneath shallow cover (15 to 20m). Antipa’s access to this area was previously prevented by the former Paterson IGO Farm-in Project.
At the nearby AL01 target, drilling has returned 8 metres at 0.4 g/t gold, including 4 metres at 0.7 g/t, with anomalies extending over 4 kilometres and remaining open in multiple directions. These areas will be followed up during the Phase 2 program, which is planned to cover 25,000–35,000 metres.
Map of AL01: Showing contoured maximum down-hole gold (ppb) drill results and gold-copper-silver drill intercepts over grayscale aeromagnetic image. AL01 air core anomalies extend for a combined distance of approximately 4km, with strike lengths ranging from 250 to 1,500 metres and up to 400 metres across strike; with all anomalies remaining open in most directions. Mineralisation is hosted by siliceous metasediments beneath shallow cover (2 to 64m). Heritage survey limitations restricted the majority of drilling to three very broad spaced drill lines, sub-optimally orientated parallel to the host rock strike. A recently completed extensive heritage survey with lines perpendicular to the host rock strike will optimise the distribution of follow-up drilling.
Scale and discovery upside
Antipa managing director Roger Mason said the results “serve to further highlight Minyari as a high-quality gold-copper system of scale”.
“The exceptional grades intersected at the Minyari deposit, together with the hits at WACA and GEO-01, provide a strong foundation for the upcoming Mineral Resource update and the PFS,” Mason said.
“At the same time, broad-spaced drilling at the RPS and AL01 anomalies north of Minyari point to significant discovery potential across our tenure,” he added. “This year’s programme is delivering exactly what it was designed to achieve: further advancing the development while adding new discoveries to build additional scale.”
What’s next
Assays from the final 20 Phase 1 holes are expected in October, coinciding with the release of the updated MRE. In parallel, PFS drilling and technical studies are advancing, targeting a future development decision.
Antipa already holds a 2.5-million-ounce gold resource (plus copper, silver and cobalt credits) across the Minyari Project, situated in the same region as Rio Tinto Ltd (LSE:RIO, ASX:RIO, OTC:RTNTF)–Sumitomo’s Winu and Greatland Resources Ltd (AIM:GGP, OTC:GRLGF, ASX:GGP)’s Havieron discoveries. The company says this year’s work is designed both to advance development and to build scale through new discoveries.
Plan showing location of Antipas 100%-owned, 4,100km2 Minyari Project: Plan includes Greatland Resources’ Telfer Mine, Havieron development project and O’Callaghans deposit, Rio Tinto-Sumitomo’s Winu deposit, Rio Tinto’s Calibre-Magnum deposits, and Cyprium’s Nifty Mine1 . Regional GDA2020 / MGA Zone 51 co-ordinates, 50km grid.