Sipa Resources Ltd (ASX:SRI) recently completed the first-ever two-hole diamond drilling program at the Paterson North Project’s Rim and Jumper targets in the Paterson Province of northern Western Australia.
The initiative was part of the Farm in and Joint Venture Agreement with Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) Exploration Pty Limited (RTX). The drilling aimed to explore potential copper and gold deposits.
This program entailed drilling two holes for a combined depth of 443 metres, using a helicopter-supported approach to minimise environmental impact.
Despite reaching the planned depths, the drilling results revealed only minor geochemical anomalies in pathfinder elements such as silver, arsenic, bismuth and potassium, with no significant copper or gold mineralisation detected at this stage.
At the Rim target, one drill hole penetrated a thick cover sequence and intersected metamorphosed rocks.
Some anomalism
The drilling detected some localised intervals of weak silver, arsenic, bismuth and potassium anomalism, which could indicate proximity to mineralisation given their association with known mineral systems in the Paterson region.
Meanwhile, the hole at the Jumper target, which focused on exploring a deep granite intrusion, yielded a weak copper anomalism, with a peak value of 0.024% over a 0.8-metre interval, accompanied by low levels of bismuth anomalism.
Sipa Resources remains optimistic, acknowledging that a single drill hole into each target – both of which are large areas – may not have been a sufficient test of the potential mineralisation.
Further exploration warranted
The area's complexity and the presence of pathfinder element anomalism suggest further exploration is warranted.
Sipa plans to refine and prioritise additional targets within the project, many of which have already been cleared for heritage surveys, to better understand the region's geological potential.