Australian Gold and Copper Ltd (ASX:AGC) has completed an induced polarisation (IP) geophysical survey targeting sulphide mineralisation over the Achilles trend at the South Cobar Project within the prolific Cobar Basin in western New South Wales.
Totalling 26.4 line kilometres, this is the first of the three high-impact surveys being undertaken at the target and final results will be reported once data processing and analysis are complete.
Achilles is an early-stage, high-priority base-metal gold target with strong surface geochemistry and drill results.
South Cobar Project tenement map.
“Highly effective tool”
AGC managing director Glen Diemar said: “IP is a highly effective tool for mapping zones of sulphides within the ground and has aided in many great discoveries within our district.
“To cover the whole 3-kilometre trend identified at Achilles, wide-spaced 400-metre IP lines provided an exciting first pass investigation into the ground, then infilling those lines to 200-metre spacing was quickly recognised as being required to get the definition needed on areas of interest.
“Our drilling in 2021 intercepted up to 10.6% lead + zinc and 1.4% copper in this area and that is the kind of sulphide-bearing mineralisation that IP responds well to, so we believe by using IP we can find significantly more.”
Survey highlights
Achilles IP survey was initially conducted with 400-metre paced lines, however, pre-processing results in the field suggested infill lines were warranted and were subsequently completed to 200 metres.
IP geophysics has been instrumental in recent high-profile discoveries such as Aurelia Metals’ Federation deposit and Carnaby Resources’ Greater Duchess copper-gold project.
Diemar adds: “Aurelia Metals’ high-grade Federation deposit was discovered using a combination of lead-in-soils and IP geophysics prior to drilling; that is exactly what we are hoping to replicate.
“Multiple coincident datasets such as soil and rock chip geochemistry and IP geophysics rapidly lowers the drilling risk and can increase the probability of a major discovery.”
Forward plan
Gradient array IP surveying has now kicked off at the Hilltop target, which has significant surface gold and lead anomalism and is 20 kilometres south of Achilles.
After the survey at Hilltop has been completed, gradient array IP surveying will be undertaken at the Planet target which is 20 kilometres north of Achilles.
What’s more, Achilles IP results are to be reported once data processing and analysis are complete.
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