Aeris Resources Ltd (ASX:AIS) has further enhanced the copper potential of Murrawombie deposit within the Tritton operations in New South Wales with high-grade copper intersected below the resource.
Underground exploration drill hole MWNM001 was targeting extensions to the mineralised system down plunge from the current mineral resource offprint and returned strong results, intersecting several high-grade lenses.
Results include:
- 8.0 metres at 2.05% copper, 0.47 g/t gold and 7.6 g/t silver from 845 metres;
- 21.3 metres at 1.78% copper, 0.48 g/t gold and 7.4 g/t silver from 858.5 metres including 11.1 metres at 2.72% copper, 0.78 g/t gold and 11.7 g/t silver from 868.7 metres; and
- 6.7 metres at 1.02% copper, 0.21 g/t gold and 1.9 g/t silver from 806.3 metres.
The Murrawombie deposit has now been traced 1,400 metres down plunge.
Potential to extend life
Executive chairman Andre Labuschagne said “These latest drilling results continue to demonstrate the prospectivity to find more copper on the Tritton tenement package.
“The mineralisation intersected down plunge from the Murrawombie deposit has the potential to significantly extend the life of the Murrawombie underground.
“We will be prioritising downhole EM surveying on the hole and planning follow-up drilling.”
Murrawombie is the second largest deposit discovered within the Tritton tenement package with an in-situ tonnage in the range of 15 to 20 million tonnes.
Targeted extensions
Primary copper mineralisation in the form of chalcopyrite is associated with pyrite forming a series of stacked sulphide lenses traced from surface to 1,100 metres down plunge.
An underground exploration drill hole was recently completed targeting extensions to the mineralised system down plunge below the current mineral resource footprint.
The high-grade copper intersections are 250 metres down plunge below the resource footprint.
No sign of weakening
Aeris says the results from hole MWNM001 are exciting for several reasons:
- Firstly, intersecting several high-grade lenses suggests the mineralised system is not showing signs of weakening; and
- Secondly, there is significant potential to extend the current mineral resource Inventory with further exploratory drilling.
A common feature of deposits within the Tritton tenement package is a long down plunge dimension.
The Tritton deposit remains the largest mineralised system discovered within the tenement package to date and has been traced in excess of 2,000 metres down plunge and remains open.
What comes next
A downhole electromagnetic survey will be completed on drill hole MWNM001 to detect massive sulphide lenses up to 200 metres from the drill trace.
Results from the survey will be used to assist with planned follow-up drilling to test extensions to mineralisation below the current resource footprint.