Antipa Minerals Ltd (ASX:AZY) has discovered multiple zones of new gold-copper mineralisation as part of greenfield exploration at Minyari Dome Project in the Paterson Province of Western Australia.
Antipa is a mineral exploration company with consolidated tenure in eastern Paterson, home to Newcrest Mining Ltd’s world-class Tefler gold-copper mine and similar, large mineral deposits.
The company’s Minyari Dome 2021 Greenfield Exploration Program is designed to identify gold and/or copper mineralisation within 4 kilometres of the existing mineral resources that can enhance the Minyari-WACA development potential.
Assay results of two reverse cycle (RC) drill holes have highlighted additional, near-surface high-grade copper-gold mineralisation just 800 metres southeast from the Minyari resource and 170-400 metres east of the WACA resource.
Strong results
The first RC drill hole (21MYC0245) at the southern mineralisation (GP01) returned results of 27 metres at 1.3 g/t gold and 0.11% copper from 131 metres down hole that included 7.0 metres at 3.9 g/t gold from 133 metres along with 1-metre at 19.9 g/t gold from 133 metres.
Further mineralisation was returned on an adjacent structure, WACA East, 100 metres north of GP01:
- 36 metres at 0.50 g/t gold and 0.07% copper from 78 metres down hole including 9.0 metres at 1.0 g/t gold and 0.12% copper from 99.0 metres and 1-metre at 3.0 g/t gold and 0.44% copper from 148 metres down hole
“Resource growth potential”
Antipa wholly owns the Minyari Dome Project, which hosts the Minyari and WACA deposits. The project contains a combined mineral resource of 723,340 ounces of gold, 26,390 tonnes of copper, 233,290 ounces of silver and 4,060 tonnes of cobalt.
“These greenfield discoveries within close proximity to the Minyari and WACA deposits further demonstrate the exploration and resource growth potential of the company’s 100% Minyari Dome Project,” Antipa managing director Roger Mason said.
“The company is continuing greenfield exploration across the project in parallel with project evaluation activities with the aim of making significant discoveries that will enhance the Minyari-WACA development opportunity.
“With the first greenfield target tested in 2021 resulting in discoveries close to surface, the company is confident that similar nearby geophysical and aircore anomalies could deliver further success. The 10,000 metres 2021 greenfield RC drill program is testing 14 targets and is expected to be completed in November.”
Greenfield Exploration Program
The exploration program at Minyari is designed to discover additional gold-copper mineralisation within proximity of the established Minyari and WACA mineral resources. The key components of the program are:
- Detailed drone (UAV) magnetic survey (completed) – Survey with 20-metre line spacing to improve deposit, prospect and greenfield targeting via the identification of key lithologies, structures, and magnetic anomalies;
- Gradient Array Induced Polarisation (GAIP) survey (completed) – To identify IP chargeability (± resistivity ± conductivity) anomalies related to gold-copper sulphide mineralisation and also map certain key lithologies;
- Surface geochemical program (ongoing) - Fine-fraction soil program across significant areas of the Minyari Dome Project to generate new greenfield targets for drill testing in 2022; and
- Reverse circulation (RC) drill program (ongoing) – Approximately 10,000 metres (40 RC drill holes) testing 14 geophysical and/or geochemical (aircore) greenfield targets.
Key results to date
Mineralisation intersected by the RC drill holes was disseminated, semi-massive and breccia style gold-copper sulphide mineralisation and associated intense intrusion-related hydrothermal alteration hosted by meta-sediments and felsic and mafic intrusives. The host rocks, mineralisation and alteration styles are the same as the Minyari and WACA deposits.
Both new potential mineralisation deposits remain open in all directions and have been prioritised for follow-up RC drill testing. These newly discovered zones of mineralisation are close to surface and, according to the company, further enhance the project development opportunity.
Summary of priority targets
Fourteen priority targets have been identified through the exploration program, slated for RC drill testing this year. They are summarised below:
- GP01 - 400-metre-long Minyari-sized coincident magnetic-high, IP chargeability and conductivity anomaly 800 metres southeast of Minyari and 400 metres east of WACA;
- WACA East - 200-metre-long IP chargeability anomaly 780 metres south of Minyari and 170 metres east of WACA;
- Minyari South - 200 x 150 metres drill defined zone of gold-copper mineralisation (up to 18 metres at 3.1 g/t gold and 0.3% copper including 2 metres at 11.0 g/t gold) and weak IP chargeability anomaly 250 metres southwest of Minyari;
- Minyari North - 300-metre-long coincident magnetic-high and IP chargeability anomaly with similarities to the Minyari deposit 350 metres northwest along strike from Minyari;
- Judes Northeast - 200 metre IP target proximal to the Judes copper-silver prospect and follow-up 2020 aircore identified copper mineralisation (eg 26 to 27 metre bottom of hole 1.2% copper) 1.8 kilometres north of Minyari;
- GAIP07-09 - RC follow-up of 2020 aircore identified (250 to 500 metre) zones of intense intrusion-related hydrothermal alteration and geochemical anomalism (eg 10 to 11 metre bottom of hole 0.61 g/t gold) across strong (2.5 x background) IP chargeability anomalies 2.7 to 3.3 kilometres northwest of Minyari;
- Fozzie - 170-metre-long strong complex IP chargeability anomaly with (surface) mapped silicapyrite-sericite alteration 1 kilometre west of Minyari;
- GP15 - Isolated 220 metre bullseye IP chargeability anomaly 2.5 kilometres northwest of Minyari;
- GP03 - 250-metre-long coincident magnetic-high and IP chargeability anomaly 270 metres northeast of GP01;
- GP05 - 250-metre-long coincident magnetic-high, IP chargeability and conductivity anomaly 500 metres southeast of GP01;
- GP13 - 170-metre isolated coincident magnetic and IP chargeability anomaly with (surface) mapped pyrite alteration 400 metres southwest of WACA;
- GP07 - Isolated 200-metre bullseye magnetic-high and conductivity anomaly 220 metres east of GP01;
- GP19 - 400-metre-long coincident magnetic-high, IP chargeability and conductivity anomaly within interpreted fold-nose 900 metres northwest of Minyari; and
- GP26 - 170-metre magnetic-high anomaly with weak IP chargeability response along interpreted fold-limb 500 metres west of Judes.
