Aeris Resources Ltd (ASX:AIS) has further enhanced the under-development Avoca Tank Project within its Tritton Operations in western New South Wales with high-grade copper returned from underground resource definition drilling … and gold to boot.
Underground diamond drilling recently started at Avoca Tank focused on de-risking the initial 80-metre- high production block which is scheduled to commence production in the June quarter.
High-grade copper
The first drill hole, ATEL001, intersected two massive sulphide high-grade copper lenses including:
- 10.7 metres at 5.48% copper, 0.30 g/t gold and 9.7 g/t silver from 428 metres; and
- 2.6 metres at 2.94% copper, 1.66 g/t gold and 68 g/t silver from 416 metres.
The thick, high-grade copper mineralisation, exceeding 5% copper, supports the company’s view that Avoca Tank will become a high-grade copper producer.
Plan view of actual and proposed decline development to Avoca Tank deposit and drill hole ATEL001 intersection of the Avoca Tank mineralisation, including the Y and J lenses.
High-grade gold as well
What’s more, ATEL001 also intersected a high-grade gold lens in the footwall to the copper sulphide lenses, reporting 6.0 metres at 0.36% copper, 2.78 g/t gold and 31 g/t silver from 410 metres.
Aeris’ executive chairman Andre Labuschagne said: “This latest drilling confirms the high-grade nature of the Avoca Tank deposit and its importance as a new ore source for the Tritton Operations.
"The addition of a high-grade gold lens is an interesting discovery that will be followed up with further drilling.
“The Avoca Tank deposit remains open down plunge, with mineralisation intersected last year 75 metres below the current mineral resource envelope.”
About Avoca Tank
Avoca Tank is a small, high-grade copper/gold deposit 5 kilometres to the north of the Murrawombie mine and 27 kilometres northwest of the Tritton processing facility.
It has an ore reserve of 700,000 tonnes at 2.5% copper and 0.8 g/t gold for 18,000 tonnes of contained copper and 18,000 ounces of contained gold.
The deposit averages a higher-grade gold content in comparison to all other known deposits within the Tritton tenement package. Further drilling will assist with understanding the extent of the high-grade gold mineralisation intersected in hole ATEL001.
It remains open down-plunge with mineralisation intersected, from drilling in FY22, 75 metres below the current resource envelope.
Core photo from ATEL001 showing a massive sulphide interval through the 'J’ lens (10.7 metres at 5.48% copper, 0.30 g/t gold and 9.7 g/t silver).
Drilling continues
A further three drill holes have been completed as part of the underground drill program and these are being logged.
Two of these holes intersected the modelled ore horizon while the third deviated more than planned and missed the ore horizon.
Underground diamond drilling is continuing, with a second drill rig scheduled to commence in the coming weeks. Both rigs will focus on the initial 80-metre vertical portion of the mineral resource targeted for production.
A feature consistent with all known deposits within the Tritton tenement package is long down-plunge extents.
In drilling during 2022, exploration drill hole TAKD0464 intersected high-grade copper below the current resource footprint, which provides further opportunities to increase the resource.
Strong development progress
Aeris is making strong development progress at Avoca Tank with the access decline reaching the ore body on time during the Christmas period.
The access decline intersecting the Avoca Tank orebody.
Small volumes of development ore have already been processed through the Tritton mill with metallurgical results as expected.
The company’s immediate focus is on establishing services and ventilation to enable development of stoping levels to begin with first stoping ore scheduled for the June quarter of 2023.
On target for first stoping ore
Labuschagne said “The Avoca Tank copper mine will be the Tritton Operation’s next high-grade ore source. Intersecting the orebody on time puts us on target for first stoping ore in the June quarter.
"The Avoca Tank deposit remains open down plunge and along strike, with mineralisation intersected last year 75 metres below the current mineral resource envelope.
"FY23 is an important year for the Tritton Operations as we bring the higher-grade Avoca Tank and Budgerygar mines into production.
"Added to this we continue to advance the Constellation deposit and have identified potential depth extensions at the Tritton and Murrawombie mines.”
Cross-section view (looking north) of proposed level development at the Avoca Tank deposit.
Construction of the 2.5-kilometre access decline, from a portal which has previously been used to access the North-East and Larsens mines, began in October 2021.
The access decline was designed to intersect the current mineral resource midpoint, enabling development of stoping levels to begin, both up-and-down plunge in parallel.