Duke Exploration Ltd (ASX:DEX) has updated its plans for 2022 and, weather notwithstanding, it’s shaping up to be a busy year for the exploration company focused on copper and copper-gold in central Queensland.
Teams are back on-site and work has resumed at a rapid pace. Towards the end of 2021, inclement weather halted works, but a range of sampling and drilling activities are underway once more, and it all augurs well for a fruitful first half of the year.
"We are very excited to resume exploration activity for 2022 and continue with our resource development plan,” managing director Philip Condon said. “The team is on the ground and has been able to resume momentum quickly in the new year.”
“We have two very important quarters coming up, where it is anticipated the revised resource development strategy will begin to deliver results. I look forward to that journey with our loyal shareholders and the potential success it can bring.”
Soil sampling
Geochemical soil sampling has resumed in the area around the Bundarra Pluton and will extend to the closely related Duania and Waitara tenements. This important work will identify the presence of copper in the soil and therefore the presence of copper mineralisation in the rock structures below.
It is a cheap, rapid and reliable method of indicating areas of interest for further investigation.
At Bundarra, mapping anomalous copper in the soil provides a vector for copper mineralisation in outcrop – this, in turn, promotes an understanding of the larger controlling structures.
Diamond drilling
Diamond drilling resumed this week at the Rogers prospect area. This is the third in a campaign of five holes – one at Quorn, one at Isens and three within the Rogers area.
The Quorn and Isens holes are drilled and mineralisation has been intersected. Assay details from these holes are due mid-February.
The first hole of three planned at Rogers is almost complete and has intersected several chalcopyrite-dominated sulphide veins downhole, including two metres of chalcopyrite-pyrite-magnetite veining from 102 metres.
When this hole is complete, the rig will move on to the next two planned at this site. The campaign is expected to wrap up in mid-February and assay results will follow about six weeks after that. The diamond drilling rig will continue on to at least two other primary targets of interest in March and April.
Pattern and resource drilling
Locations of further interest – as determined from the diamond drilling – will be pattern drilled by a reverse circulation rig (RC) to understand the extent of the mineralisation. This will start when assays from the diamond drilling are in.
Resource drilling with the RC rig will start when the company has determined the most prospective areas.
Metallurgical testing
The second of a planned series of three recovery tests is underway. The tests will determine optimal processing parameters and design and specification indications. The results of the test-work will be announced towards the end of the first quarter of the year.