Cooper Metals Ltd (ASX:CPM) is shoring up some new copper-gold targets at the Ardmore tenement in northwest Queensland thanks to an independent prospectivity review over the Mt Isa East Project.
Eleven new prospects have cropped up at Ardmore, where the review highlighted the importance of strong structural control on precious and base metals mineralisation.
Some of the new target areas have already seen sampling, returning rock chip results like 17.1% copper and 0.79 g/t gold, 8.6% copper and 0.48 g/t gold, and 5.05% copper and 0.25 g/t gold.
Most of the target areas remain untested, giving Cooper plenty to follow up on as it defines Ardmore’s broader prospectivity.
Drilling at Ardmore South
Cooper has also unveiled results from a reverse circulation drill program at Ardmore South, where 13 holes were drilled to test a 500-metre chargeability anomaly and coincident copper-gold from rock chip samples.
In essence, drilling points to a broad, sulphide-rich zone dominated by pyrite and low-grade copper. Consequently, the findings point to a potentially large and fertile iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) system at Ardmore.
The prospectivity review indicates that higher-grade copper-gold could be found in structurally controlled trap sites, so Cooper plans to interpret detailed magnetics and pinpoint these structures.
Targets for 2023 field season
Cooper Metals managing director Ian Warland said historical aeromagnetic and geochemistry data was used to identify several high-priority copper-gold targets at Ardmore.
“Cooper’s team is currently in the field systematically checking these targets as part of a broader exploration program at the Mt Isa East Project,” he explained.
“Cooper believes that the results of the recent RC drilling at Ardmore South indicate the presence of a significant IOCG mineral system in the area, with the potential to form economic concentrations of copper-gold mineralisation in structurally controlled trap sites.
“The company is planning to drill test as many targets as possible in the 2023 field season and will provide updates as plans develop.”
Next up
With more than 50 untested copper-gold targets on its radar, Cooper has plenty of work on the to-do list.
The explorer is re-examining historical workings at the Yarraman, Costeen, Sylvia May and Scorpion targets, as well as geophysical anomalies like the Raven prospect, which is interpreted to host copper and gold from surface.
A field team is on-ground conducting follow-up, preparing the target suite for scout drilling this season.
The new Ardmore targets are included in this program, with geochemical sampling underway over the priority areas.