Antipa Minerals Ltd (ASX:AZY) today provided positive updates on its Wilki and Paterson farm-in projects, both within the highly prospective Paterson Province region of Western Australia.
Firstly, Antipa announced that a second very large surface geochemical gold and pathfinder anomaly has been identified within the Wilki farm-in project. This newly defined anomaly, ‘Jezabeel’, is just 4 kilometres northeast of Greatland Gold’s Telfer gold-copper-silver mine.
Further, at the Paterson IGO farm-in project, results returned from an initial 2,608 metres of a total 5,196-metre drilling program have confirmed the presence of copper, nickel and cobalt mineralisation.
Wilki Farm-in Project
At the Wilki farm-in project, where exploration programs are fully funded and operated by Newmont, this year’s program included 1,445 samples, with results from the 1,099 returned to date successfully identifying several targets.
The most significant target is referred to as Jezabeel — a new, very large 3-kilometre-long by up to 1.3-kilometre-wide gold target identified under shallow cover, 4-kilometres northeast of the Telfer mine.
This is the second very large surface geochemical gold and pathfinder anomaly after the nearby Parklands target.
A peak surface geochemical sample lag result of 0.21 g/t gold was recorded at Jezabeel, and a limited set of historical RAB and aircore drill results show intersections of up to 4 metres at 0.13 g/t gold.
Antipa says further surface sampling may be required to extend coverage and refine the target.
Additional surface geochemical anomalies have also been identified northwest along trend from Thomson’s Dome, adjacent to Black Hills, and at “Zero Trend”.
The upcoming 2025 exploration program at Wilki will be fully funded by Newmont under the existing $60 million farm-in agreement.
The program is designed to deliver greenfield discoveries in the style of Havieron, Winu and Telfer within 10 to 50 kilometres of Greatland Gold’s Telfer gold-copper-silver mine and 22 million tonne per annum processing facility.
Consistent with previous years, the proposed 2025 exploration program and budget will be subject to ongoing review by Newmont based on results, field conditions, contractor availability and pricing and other relevant matters.
Antipa also notes that the Parklands target Heritage Survey has been completed in preparation for drill testing.
Wilki farm-in project areas covered by 2023 and 2024 substantial surface geochemical sampling program, highlighting the proximity of both Parklands (10 kilometres) and Jezabeel (4 kilometres) to Greatland Gold’s giant Telfer deposit which pre-mining contained 32Moz of gold and 1Mt of copper.
Paterson farm-in project
At the Paterson Project, a farm-in with IGO Ltd, assay results have been returned from the initial seven holes (2,608 metres) of maiden diamond core drilling and results for ground based geophysical surveys at the PP-GRAV01 and PPGRAV02 targets.
PP-GRAV01 target
A recently completed drilling program at PP-GRAV01 included four diamond core holes for 1,589 metres. Three holes were drilled to the west and one hole drilled to the east of the gravity high target.
Encouraging geology was intersected with copper, gold and pathfinders found to be increasing toward the gravity high, including 0.9 metres at 0.07% copper, 0.11 g/t gold from 171.6 metres; plus elevated pathfinder anomalism provides a “compelling mineral system proximity signature”.
The PP-GRAV01 gravity high anomaly remains untested. Its proximity to the Anketell-Samphire Thrust, a possible hydrothermal fluid conduit linking the Winu, Minyari and Havieron gold-copper-silver deposits — hosting combined resources of 17 million ounces of gold, 4 million tonnes of copper and 52 million ounces of silver — underscores its exploration potential.
PP-GRAV02 target
PP-GRAV02 is a large gold-copper target that remains untested around contact with a mafic intrusive.
Three diamond core holes, totalling 1,336 metres, were drilled into the core of the 1.8 kilometre-long PP-GRAV02 coincident gravity-magnetic high anomaly.
Drilling successfully intersecting mafic intrusive (dolerite) hosting variable zones of disseminated and semi-massive, brecciated pyrrhotite-pyrite-chalcopyrite copper mineralisation. Drilling intersected up to 0.66% copper and 0.07% cobalt, plus nickel, zinc and silver.
The 2025 program will be fully funded and operated by IGO.
Southern region of the Paterson Farm-in Project, showing the two co-incident magnetic and gravity high targets PP-GRAV01 and PP-GRAV02 and drill hole locations. Note the location of the Anketell Samphire Thrust, a possible hydrothermal fluid conduit linking the Winu, Minyari and Havieron gold-copper-silver deposits and reduced granites adjacent to both PP-GRAV01 and PP-GRAV02.