Duke Exploration Ltd (ASX:DEX) has intersected “highly anomalous” copper mineralisation from its RC drill program at its Quorn prospect within the flagship Bundarra Project in Western Australia.
The company’s scout drilling program has tested both breccia and peripheral structurally controlled copper mineralisation at the prospect.
A significant development was the associated hematite dusting which extends the downhole extent of the Quorn mineral system to over 300 metres.
Notably, the hematite dusting alteration style is a common element of Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) mineral systems, and the Quorn intersections require more drilling and petrochemical evaluation.
Moving forward, a follow-up resource delineation drilling is planned on Quorn to further evaluate the hematite alteration “flush” at depth plus the dimensions and copper tenor of both the breccia and shear-hosted targets.
Stong intersections at Quorn
“Exciting development”
Duke managing director Philip Condon said: “We are very pleased to report the first pXRF results from the Quorn RC drilling program.
“Quorn is part of the first round of RC scout drilling and follows the successful diamond drilling campaign during Q4 2021 and Q1 2022 outside of our Mt Flora resource area.
“These drilling results are very encouraging in two primary ways.
“The first is the confirmation that the Quorn Breccia mineral system appears to be intermittently mineralised to over 300 metres depth and is open ended at present.
“Secondly, the deeper intersections starting at around 300 metres vertical depth of zones of intense hematite – silica alteration are indicating affinities to an IOCG mineral system.
“This is an extremely exciting development and will be followed up with further diamond drilling.
“The RC priority target scout drilling program elsewhere on the Bundarra property is continuing with drilling on the priority targets on the northern side of the BIC currently underway.”
Scout drilling program
To date, Duke has drilled nine RC holes totalling 1627 metres at the Quorn Prospect.
The Quorn investigation is part of scout drilling focusing on primary targets that are located in the southwestern portion of the Bundarra Intrusive Complex (BIC).
The RC drilling program is scout testing high-ranking prospects that are the most likely areas to host significant mineralisation with high grade and/or a large extent.
New targeting techniques have been tested and confirmed through recent diamond drilling, which provided important geological and structural information.
Duke conducted soil sampling, geological ground-truthing and assessment, gradient-array induced polarisation (GAIP) surveys, VTEM and airborne magnetics analysis over the entire BIC plus a 5-hole diamond drilling campaign completed in January 2022.
Cross Section showing the features of the Quorn mineral system.
Forward plan
Future work at Quorn will involve a combination of the following:
- deepening by 150 to 200 metres one of the RC drill holes by diamond drilling to explore the Hematite-dusting alteration and related chalcopyrite mineralisation;
- 3-D geological modelling of the breccia, shear zones and alteration;
- whole-rock geochemical analyses of the altered intrusive at depth;
- resource delineation drilling to an inferred category (Phase 1) followed by Phase 2 to indicated if results warrant; and
- integration of Quorn geological data into assisting targeting for the Quorn N scout drilling.