Encounter Resources (ASX:ENR) has launched a 6,000m diamond and reverse circulation drilling campaign at its Jessica Copper Project in the Northern Territory.
The program is funded by South32 (ASX:S32) under its $15 million farm-in agreement with Encounter.
Drilling will test targets generated from the MIM distributed acquisition system and versatile time domain electromagnetic surveys completed in 2025. A regional magnetotelluric survey is also underway to support further target generation.
Jessica spans about 9,400km² along structural corridors east of Tennant Creek. The campaign is designed to test for large-scale sediment-hosted copper and iron oxide copper-gold deposits.
Managing Director and CEO Will Robinson says the program follows systematic geophysical work across the project.
“This 6,000m drill program, funded by our farm-in partner South32, is testing large-scale copper targets defined by systematic geophysical work at Jessica. Prior drilling at Jessica intersected chalcopyrite and bornite at Zeta, and historical water bore sampling at the project returning 1.5% copper from near surface,” Robinson says.
“With a dearth of new copper discoveries and growing demand, this is a great time to be testing large-scale copper targets in a tier one jurisdiction such as Australia.”
Historical water-bore chips from Jessica contained malachite and returned 3m @ 1.5% copper from surface. Previous drilling by South32 also intersected hematite alteration and quartz-carbonate veining containing chalcopyrite and bornite at the Zeta target.
Drilling completed in 2024 confirmed prospective near-surface stratigraphy in the eastern project area. This was followed by a 2,765-line-kilometre airborne electromagnetic survey in 2025, co-funded by the NT Geological Survey.
Encounter is concurrently reviewing its broader copper portfolio to assess options for unlocking value and accelerating the projects.
Described as a “key project” within the company’s copper portfolio, the Jessica campaign begins under Encounter’s refreshed leadership team. As reported by Mining.com.au, Robinson became managing director and CEO on 1 September 2026, while Simon Hay transitioned to non-executive chairman.
Encounter Resources is a mineral explorer with copper and rare earth element projects across Australia. This includes the Aileron Project in Western Australia, which hosts an inferred resource of 120 million tonnes (Mt) @ 0.77% niobium pentoxide, including 26Mt @ 1.7%.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: Encounter Resources
