Celsius Resources Ltd (ASX:CLA, AIM:CLA) has reported positive results from diamond drilling to test the extents of oxide copper mineralisation from Nabiga-a Hill at the Sagay Copper-Gold Project on the island on Negros, Philippines.
The now completed drilling program, conducted by Celsius’ Philippine subsidiary Tambuli Mining Company, involved a total of 824.70 metres drilled across 12 shallow diamond drill holes in the shallow high-grade zone.
The goal of the drilling was to supplement the data gaps and increase confidence in the Nabiga-a Hill mineral resource, focusing on the shallow high-grade copper, or the Secondary Supergene Chalcocite Enrichment zone.
Significant copper mineralisation
Results returned from the shallow drilling program identified significant copper mineralisation from eight out of the 12 drill holes completed from as shallow as 10 metres beneath the surface.
The results include:
- 69.3 metres at 0.56% copper from 10.7 metres down hole, including 23.3 metres at 1.19% copper from 15 metres down hole;
- 47 metre at 0.85% copper from 33 metres down hole, including 35m at 1.01% copper from 35 metres down hole; and
- 50.3m at 0.68% copper from 31.7m down hole, including 30 metres at 0.87% copper from 52 metres down hole.
Management noted that the higher-grade intervals appear to be closely linked to breccia bodies and an intrusive medium grained porphyritic diorite rock which have a vertical orientation that extend up into the shallow oxidised copper mineralisation zone.
Nabiga-a Hill has an existing mineral resource of 302 million tonnes grading 0.41% copper and 0.11 grams per tonne (g/t) gold for 1.2 million tonnes of contained copper and 1 million ounces of contained gold.
Of this, 15 million tonnes at 0.45% copper and 0.11g/t gold is classified as indicated and 287 million tonnes at 0.41% copper and 0.11g/t gold is in the inferred category.
A phased development approach
Celsius managing director Peter Hume said: “The results from the recent drilling confirm the location of copper mineralisation starting from less than 10 metres beneath the surface. This shallow and relatively flat oxidised zone has potential for a new development to support the phased growth of Sagay.
“A proposed phased approach for Sagay could deliver project self-reliance towards our goal of ultimately developing the much larger porphyry copper-gold mineralisation which exists underneath this shallow copper mineralisation and Nabiga-a Hill.
“This potential mining opportunity is approximately one year behind the Maalinao-Caigutan Biyog Copper-Gold Project (MCB) in approvals and has the potential for a rapid start up.”