C29 Metals Ltd (ASX:C29) has kicked off a geochemical survey over its Samson tank copper-gold property in a high-grade base metals hotspot within the Lachlan Fold Belt of New South Wales.
The explorer is out to target high-grade, deformed and remobilised Besshi-type volcanic associated massive sulphide (VAMS) copper-gold deposits during the survey.
C29 will further explore Samson Tank’s P-47 and P-54 prospects and expand the project’s historical soil geochemical survey footprint with the latest field program, founded on a historical data review.
Overall, the company comes one step closer to realising the potential of the emerging, high-grade Girilambone copper district — one that hosts famous neighbours like
- Aeris Resources Ltd (ASX:AIS)’s Tritton copper-gold mine;
- Helix Resources Ltd’s Collerina CZ copper-gold discovery; and
- Locksley Resources Ltd’s Tottenham copper-gold deposit.
Honing in on copper-gold prospects
Speaking to the program’s commencement, C29 executive director Mark Major said: “The expansion of the soil program will help delineate the copper-gold anomalies over the two historically identified prospects.
“We will follow this with a heliborne VTEM survey in February 2022 to enhance these existing targets and generate further targets over the licence area.
“Further surface electromagnetic surveys may be required but we envisage to be drilling at the known targets by mid-2022.
“This area is emerging as a high-grade copper district and shareholders should be encouraged by the prospectivity of the tenure we control.”
Previous exploration
C29’s tenure is no stranger to field programs: modern exploration kicked off at the site in 1979, with a focus on tin-tungsten exploration.
Work honed on the P-47 and P-54 targets, with ground magnetics, auger soil geochemical grids and two diamond holes completed.
This work defined a 1-kilometre-long copper-zinc-cobalt soil anomaly at P-47 and anomalous copper soil geochemistry at P-54.
Then, between 1989 and 1990, a company explored the property for platinum with reconnaissance ground magnetics and rotary air blast drilling across magnetic high targets.
In 2017, a private company reviewed historical exploration and identified two key targets - P-47 and P-54 - as priority targets, owing to their potential to host VAMS mineralisation undercover.
The targets identified hosted many salient features that were typical of deformed and remobilised Besshi-type volcanic associated massive sulphide (VAMS) mineralisation, akin to those observed at Tritton.
Similar features included lithology, alteration, the tenor of surface geochemical anomalism and magnetic anomalism, and they underpin the exploration rationale moving forward.
Between 2019 and 2020, a small, systematic soil sampling grid took place across the P-47 and P-54 prospects.
This delineated a 1,200-metre by 350-metre copper-gold-cobalt-in-soil anomaly at P-47 and an 800-metre by 600-metre copper-cobalt-zinc-barium-gold anomaly at P-54.
Both anomalies remain open and associated with magnetic high features.
Forward plan
C29’s copper-gold exploration is part of a recent shift in the Lachlan Fold Belt’s Girilambone district.
Interestingly, previous exploration was directed towards tin, tungsten and platinum with only very recent exploration looking at moderate to high-grade copper-gold deposits.
Modern VAMS exploration in the Girilambone district has typically been limited to areas of outcrop and subcrop closer to Tottenham, but the company has since recognised the prospective stratigraphy extending further north beneath alluvial cover on the C29 licence.
Looking ahead, C29 says it will complete the current soil geochemical survey to extend and infill the historical areas and reaffirm and define the full extent of the geochemical anomalism.
This work will be followed up with a heliborne versatile time-domain electromagnetic (VTEM) geophysical survey over the entire licence in late February.
Succeeding this program, follow-up ground EM surveys and drilling is envisaged mid-2022.