White Rock Minerals Ltd (ASX:WRM, OTCQX:WRMCF)’s earn-in partner Thomson Resources Limited (ASX:TMZ) has identified a high-grade copper sulphide target in hole KYDD001 during a review of previous exploration data from the Mt Carrington Project in northern New South Wales
The copper mineralisation is near the Kylo gold resource in the polymetallic central core zone at Mt Carrington.
Mt Carrington Project location plan showing gold and silver resources in the Central Core Zone.
The target has been prioritised for follow up drilling as part of a broader resource extension drill program being developed to support Thomson’s polymetallic New England Fold Belt Hub and Spoke (NEFBHS) strategy.
Background
Rex Minerals Limited (ASX:RXM) drilled diamond hole KYDD001 in February 2009 targeting a southwest dipping extension of the gold mineralisation at Kylo that is hosted by breccias on the contact between an intrusive andesitic rock and sediments.
The hole failed to intersect any significant Kylo-style gold mineralisation but did intersect two broad zones of copper sulphide mineralisation:
- 18.65m at 5.8% Cu (copper), 0.74% Zn (zinc), 0.1g/t Au (gold) from 52.35m; and
- 10.1m at 7.26% Cu, 2.58% Zn, 0.12g/t Au from 88m.
Plan of drilling including hole KYDD001 within the All Nations Trend showing high-grade copper sulphide intersection south of the White Rock Mining’s Gold First PFS designed Kylo pit shell.
On a hill at Gladstone there are numerous old workings exploiting narrow veins but there has been strong near-surface leaching with drilling indicating copper mineralisation commences in a supergene zone at ~30m depth.
The copper mineralisation is within a northwest trending structural corridor called the All Nations Trend.
It is possible that the copper sulphide mineralisation in KYDD001 partly explains the supergene copper mineralisation.
KYDD001 was not followed up with further drilling by Rex Minerals or White Rock Minerals because their target was gold mineralisation supporting their ‘gold first’ development strategy.
However, White Rock did drill other holes within the All Nations corridor.
Hole KYDD016 drilled 100m to the northeast on the margin of the Kylo resource intersected 25m at 1.26% Cu from 12m and hole GHDD005 intersected 6m at 2.75% Cu from 105m.
These copper intersections and a historic working with malachite stained mullock could indicate the strike of the copper trend that extends for over 500m.
Historic working south of Kylo Pit with malachite in the mullock during a recent Thomson Resources field trip.
Additional drilling has been prioritised to follow up the intersection in hole KYDD001.
The drilling will be designed to intersect the high-grade copper mineralisation perpendicular to the interpreted northeast trending structural control to resolve the structural control and orientation of the mineralisation.
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