Empire Metals Ltd (AIM:EEE) has released the results of an expert review on the Pitfield copper project in Western Australia.
The review was undertaken by the company's exploration team under the supervision of consultants Ed Baltis and Dr Neil O’Brien.
Baltis has more than 30 years' experience with Western Mining Corporation, Gold Fields and as a consultant in gold, copper and nickel exploration, with a strong focus in Western Australia. O'Brien is a PhD economic geologist and former mining executive with 35 years of international experience including with Giant copper deposits worldwide.
The review evaluated recent geophysical surveys and the historical exploration database at Pitfield, and confirmed that Pitfield has all the hallmarks of a "Giant" copper mineralised system.
It now seems possible that Pitfield contains multiple sediment-hosted strata-bound copper (SSC) deposits. These deposits are significant geological systems which deliver around 20% of copper production globally and are often very large and high-grade deposits.
In that context, it’s interesting to note that an exceptionally large magnetic anomaly, extending over 40 kilometres, has been identified at Pitfield.
Empire said it will now accelerate exploration activities at Pitfield during the first quarter of 2023, including surface mapping, induced polarisation surveying and geochemical sampling with multiple exploration targets already identified
"We previously held a strong belief that Pitfield had the potential to contain a major copper deposit with world-wide significance,” said Shaun Bunn, managing director of Empire Metals in a statement.
“The results of this expert review, which drew on the findings of the recently completed geophysical surveys, confirm the accuracy of the historical data we inherited and have identified the regional geological features consistent with a Giant copper mineralised system. This makes Pitfield an exciting exploration target for a SSC deposit and an exceptional project for us to focus our exploration efforts on," he added.