Battery metals explorer Develop (ASX:DVP) has recorded its thickest-ever intersection from an ongoing drilling program at the Woodlawn Copper-Zinc-Silver Project in New South Wales.
The company reports drilling intersected ‘exceptionally thick’, ‘high-grade’ copper and zinc mineralisation outside the underground resource at the B Lens, with hole 23WNUD00011 recording 75m @ 2.1% Cu, 3.1% Zn, and 8.9 grams per tonne (g/t) Ag from 351m, including 8m @ 3.6% Cu, 13.9% Zn, and 17.6g/t Ag from 375m.
Develop says these intercepts were recorded in a maiden 70-hole exploration and resource drilling campaign that began in 2022. The company says its drilling contractor, Australian Underground Drilling, has currently completed 53 holes for 22,500m.
Additionally, this program is designed to convert inferred resources to the ‘indicated’ category, extend the mineralised lenses at depth and along strike, and drill test recently identified electromagnetic (EM) conductors.
Commenting on the drill results at the Resources Rising Stars conference on the Gold Coast today (16 May 2023), Develop Managing Director Bill Beament says this intersection within the B Lens is ‘astonishing’ and shows that the Woodlawn geological system is developing into something special.
“You normally only see thickness like this within a porphyry system, but at a fraction of this grade.
“You normally only see thickness like this within a porphyry system, but at a fraction of this grade”
The thickest-ever intersection, combined with the discovery of a new, high-grade copper section of J Lens, confirms Develop’s strategy that aggressive drilling will lead to substantial increases in the project resources.
We always believed that once we started drilling the orebody the results would be good. However, we were never expecting an immediate high-grade copper discovery at J Lens, or a 75m intersection in the B Lens. This is very exciting times for the project, its team, and our shareholders.”
Other results recorded at Woodlawn include 22WNUD0005 (G Lens), with 2.1m @ 4.1% Cu, 1.0% Zn, and 44.7g/t Ag from 103.8m, including 5.7m @ 1.3% Cu from 497m (J Lens); and 23WNUD0001 (C Lens) with 14.5m @ 1.4% Zn from 679.5m.
Develop is an ASX-listed battery metals explorer with a portfolio of projects across Western Australia and New South Wales, including the Sulphur Springs Project, a 20% interest in the Whim Creek Joint Venture (JV) Project with Anax Metals (ASX:ANX), and the Woodlawn Project.
The Woodlawn Copper-Zinc-Silver Project lies in the Lachlan Fold Belt of New South Wales, about 40km south of Goulburn. Historically, the project operated from 1978 to 1998 and processed 13.8 million tonnes grading 9.1% Zn, 1.6% Cu, 3.6% Pb, 74g/t Ag, and 0.5g/t Au. The company notes the project was Australia’s second-highest-grade zinc equivalent mine at the time.
Images: Develop Global Ltd
