Two years of systematic surface work at its Copper Duke Project in southern Ecuador has led Titan Minerals Ltd (ASX:TTM) to the discovery of an extensive copper-gold porphyry system at the El Huato and Lumapamba prospects.
The company’s exploration, including collection and integration of copious amounts of data at the prospects, has uncovered a mineralised system as old as the Cerro Verde-Santa Rosa copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit in Peru, one of the largest copper districts in the world with 17 million tonnes of copper.
Drilling at El Huato and Lumapamba is imminent after recent channel and trench sampling returned impressive results.
All necessary permits for drilling are already in place.
Some of the standout results include:
El Huato:
- 20 metres at 0.90 g/t gold and 0.21% copper in HTC22-050, including 4 metres at 2.36 g/t gold and 0.14% copper;
- 50 metres at 0.16 g/t gold and 0.09% copper in HTT23-003, including 10 metres at 0.48 g/t gold and 0.11% copper; and
- 64 metres at 0.07 g/t gold and 0.07% copper in HTT23-004, including 22 metres at 0.11 g/t gold and 0.12% copper.
- 20 metres at 0.72 g/t gold and 0.10% copper in HTC22-037, including 10 metres at 1.20 g/t gold and 0.13% copper;
- 76 metres at 0.19 g/t gold and 0.02% copper in HTC22-022, including 8 metres at 0.52 g/t gold and 0.03% copper, and 16 metres at 0.30 g/t gold and 0.01% copper; and
- 28 metres at 0.28 g/t gold and 0.40% copper in HTC22-054, including 14 metres at 0.45 g/t gold and 0.58% copper.
Left: El Huato trench showing diorite porphyry with veinlets. Right: Chalcocite observed in fractures and faults.
Prospectivity confirmed
“These excellent channel and trench results are a testament to the efforts of our Copper Duke geology team who have continued to improve the company’s geological understanding through systematic boots-on-ground exploration,” Titan chief executive officer Melanie Leighton said.
“The potential for substantial copper and gold mineralisation at the El Huato and Lumapamba prospects is now confirmed, with detailed mapping and trench results vectoring us to the best part of the mineral system and the optimal location to commence drill testing.
“We are now well positioned to test these exciting targets and are in the final stages of drill design and organising all necessary logistics, including the construction of an on-site office, core logging and camp facilities at the project.
“The icing on the cake is confirmation of the mineralisation age at Copper Duke, indicating that we could be on top of a giant system, similar in age to the mega porphyries of southern Peru.”
About the project
Titan has 100% ownership of the Copper Duke Project, comprising 13 contiguous concessions that are fully permitted for exploration and small-scale mining over an area of 130 square kilometres.
Work to date has confirmed the project to host multiple porphyritic textured dioritic intrusions associated with extensive copper-gold anomalism and quartz-hosted gold veining outcropping at surface.
The scale, geometry and extent of geophysical anomalism at Copper Duke are similar to many major porphyry districts around the world, with magnetic geophysical surveys revealing clusters of intrusion-related anomalism over an area in excess of 12 square kilometres.
A large-scale 7-kilometre porphyry alteration footprint has been highlighted by magnetics, soil geochemistry, coincident gold-copper-molybdenum and associated pathfinder elements, trenching and surface mapping.
Technical work completed by Titan has identified three main areas of interest: El Huato, Lumapamba and Lumapamba South.
Copper Duke map showing regional structures, rock chips, Titan's concessions and prospects.
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