ASX-listed Cooper Metals Ltd (ASX:CPM) has started reverse circulation drilling across five prospects at the Mt Isa East Project in northwest Queensland, where the company is on the hunt for copper and gold.
The 14-hole, 1,600-metre program at Mafic Sweats South, Brumby Ridge, Long Slot, Raven and Yarraman is part of an initial drill-test of the geochemical and geophysical anomalies at the prospects.
The scout drilling is expected to take two to three weeks to complete, following which a decision will be made if further exploration work is needed.
READ: Cooper Metals extends copper-gold footprint across five prospects at Mt Isa East
“RC drilling has now commenced,” Cooper Metals managing director Ian Warland said.
“The five prospects are within 5 to 10 kilometres of one another, forming a convenient cluster that allows for a single RC drill campaign to complete initial drill testing at each target.
“All prospects show strong copper anomalism in favourable lithologies and structural settings.
“Raven and Mafic Sweats South prospects also have coincident VTEM anomalies associated with the copper-gold anomalism."
Above expectations
Separately, new rock chip assay results from historical exploration at the Long Slot prospect returned up to 30.1% copper from drill hole MER362 and 4.28 g/t gold from MER373, which exceeded expectations.
From the northern end of the open pit, where several anomalous chip samples were collected from copper veins in the area, assay results showed 8.12% copper and 0.3 g/t gold from MER 367.
Other significant rock chip assay results include:
- 13.4% copper and 0.17 g/t gold (MER363);
- 3.97% copper and 0.75 g/t gold (MER368); and
- 4.52% copper and 2.15 g/t gold (MER374).
Cooper is planning three RC holes at Long Slot, centred around the historical workings and copper anomalism found along strike to the southwest.