Cyprium Metals Ltd (ASX:CYM) has started a 1,700-metre phase one diamond drilling program at the Nanadie Well Copper-Gold Project in the Murchison region of Western Australia’s Mid-West.
The resource extension and metallurgical program begin Cyprium’s strategy to drill out the resource at the Nanadie Well project.
Cyprium has received the required regulatory program of works (POW) approval for the diamond drilling program along with a reverse circulation (RC) program.
The diamond program is aimed to provide geological and metallurgical test-work data while the RC program will test the supergene portion of the mineralisation.
“Pleased” to commence drilling
Cyprium executive director Barry Cahill said: “We are pleased to announce the commencement of a 1,700 metres diamond drill program at the Nanadie Well Copper-Gold Project.
“We have been very impressed from what we have seen in the first diamond drill hole and we look forward to receiving the assay results.
“Several diamond drill holes will be completed prior to the Christmas break and then the balance of the program will be completed in early 2021.”
Drilling underway
Cyprium has mobilised a diamond drill rig to initiate the drilling program with the site set up completed and drilling underway.
This program will serve several purposes in definition of the Nanadie Well Copper-Gold mineralisation:
- Provide core for geological logging and mapping, in both supergene and sulphide material, to gain a better understanding of the mineralisation;
- To assay for a broad range of payable metals in the mineralisation, including copper, gold and silver as well as nickel, cobalt and PGE;
- Test the geological model of the flat fractionated layers and the higher-grade sections of the layers;
- Provide metallurgical sample material to commence test work for the optimised extraction method in both the supergene and sulphide mineralisation; and
- Provide a platform to conduct downhole geophysics to target the ore bodies higher grade zones together with extensions along strike and below the currently defined mineralisation.
Geophysical program
The company has also started a gravity survey and ground resistivity (IP) survey geophysical program at the Murchison Copper-Gold Projects.
Survey work is designed to detect chalcocite mineralisation, which are weak conductors, and chargeable bodies associated with copper or zinc mineralisation.
Cahill said: “The majority of the surveys will be completed by the end of the year, with the results from the data analysis to be received in the new year.”
RC drill rig secured
The company has secured an RC drill rig to start in early January 2021 for a 3,500-metre Nanadie Well phase-1 RC program designed to test the supergene mineralisation.
The drill holes along with data from the program and subsequent drilling are being used to prepare a JORC 2012-compliant mineral resource to be released for the Nanadie Well deposit during 2021.
Cahill said: “This drilling program will be an exciting start to what we expect will be a very busy 2021, as we accelerate our series of program.”