Cooper Metals Ltd (ASX:CPM) recently commenced exploring for copper and gold mineralisation at its Mt Isa East Project in northwest Queensland, where it reports recent "encouraging” assay results from follow up reconnaissance rock chip geochemical sampling.
Following the company’s first reconnaissance geochemical program late last year, where samples of up to 35.3% copper were returned from the Python prospect, the company has received results from follow-up sampling at several prospects including Python, King Solomon, Yarraman and Prince Albert Trend.
“Follow-up surface geochemical sampling in the north-eastern part of the Mt Isa East Project continues to impress and build an exciting picture of the broader copper and gold potential of the project area,” managing director Ian Warland said.
King Solomon delivers
Infill rock chip sampling along the 1.5-kilometre copper mineralised trend at King Solomon has returned up to 9.85% copper and 2.58 g/t gold, indicating higher gold potential than the company had expected.
At Python prospect, around 2.3 kilometres northwest of King Solomon, Cooper previously collected three rock chip samples from the shallow workings that returned copper grades from 1.65% to 35.3%.
During the current sampling campaign, the company has discovered an additional previously unknown historical mine shaft. A rock chip sample from near these old workings unveiled 8.53% copper and 0.11 g/t gold, extending the known mineralisation at the prospect.
The project area covers part of the Mary Kathleen Domain within the world-class Mt Isa Inlier that also hosts Carnaby Resources’ Nil Desperandum and Lady Fanny prospects.
High-powered ground electromagnetic (EM) surveying continues apace at Python.
“The high powered electromagnetic survey underway at Python is designed to aid interpretation of the mineralisation in three dimensions and delineate preliminary drill targets,” said Warland.
Copper for 400 metres
Meanwhile, at the Yarraman prospect, historical copper in a soil anomaly appears to extend for 400 metres around old workings, with rock chip samples revealing up to 3.31% copper from the historical mine shaft.
Also near Yarraman, rock chip samples indicate up to 20.2% copper from a gossanous outcrop 640 metres southeast of the prospect, giving the company high hopes for the potential of the area.
An additional 18 rock chip samples have been collected from historical workings and selected outcrops which contain visual evidence of copper mineralisation or appear gossanous in nature.
Positive view of prospectivity
The results extend the mineralisation at Python and King Solomon and confirm Cooper’s positive view of the area, highlighting the prospectivity of the Mt Isa East Project for copper and gold.
“The highest gold result to date of 2.58 g/t gold at King Solomon highlights the strong gold potential of the prospect, which was mainly exploited by historical miners for copper mineralisation," Warland said.
“At Python, the footprint of the old workings and copper mineralisation continues to grow as field teams continue to explore the area.
“Initial field reconnaissance at other prospects has been very encouraging including Yarraman area, which returned up to 20.2% copper from an iron oxide gossan hosted in a significant shear zone within mafic rocks, which are often spatially associated with copper-gold mineralisation in the region.”
The company plans to move to less-explored areas of the prospective Mary Kathleen Domain, with an airborne electromagnetic survey to start after the wet season.
Next steps
The company has big plans for the Mt Isa Project, including:
- Ground electromagnetic surveys at the King Solomon and Python prospects to delineate any sulphide conductors for drill testing;
- Continued compilation and integration of historical exploration results from the project area;
- Extensive follow-up mapping and geochemical programs at lesser developed targets (Prince Albert, Yarraman, Mt Zsu Sui), to start to build a more accurate picture of the extent of some of these strongly mineralised systems; and
- A regional airborne electromagnetic survey in early June quarter.