Mineral exploration company Encounter Resources (ASX:ENR) reports a recently completed magnetic-radiometric survey has identified new ‘high-quality’ targets as well as upgrading existing targets at the Aileron Copper-Rare Earth Element (Cu-REE) Project in Western Australia.
The company says it conducted a 8,000-line kilometre airborne radiometric survey in November at the project, and this 100m spaced survey covered around 50km of strike in the western part of the project. The survey was designed to provide detailed structural and geological information, and to identify new carbonatite and iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) targets.
This initial assessment has identified new targets including a discrete magnetic target called Hurley located east of the Worley and Crean targets on the major Elephant Island Fault, and an interpreted intrusion named Macklin located on the key Endurance fault that hosts the Caird gravity target and WA1 Resources’ (ASX:WA1) recent mineralised carbonatite discovery at Luni.
Encounter Resources Managing Director Will Robinson says modern geophysics is revealing exceptional targets in the West Arunta critical minerals province.
“We now have high-quality magnetics and radiometrics over 50 strike kilometres of the project”
“We now have high-quality magnetics and radiometrics over 50 strike kilometres of the project and we will expand our detailed gravity coverage early in the new year. At this stage, the first drill program of the 2023 field season is planned to include Worsley, Crean and Caird targets.”
In addition to the new targets identified, Encounter reports the structural context of existing targets have been upgraded. These include a ‘bullseye’ coincident magnetic and density anomaly on the Endurance Fault at Caird, a regional scale magnetic anomaly at a key structural location on the ‘major’ Elephant Island Fault at Crean.
Other upgrades included a gravity anomaly where reconnaissance rock chip samples returned 0.5% REE at Shackleton, and a ‘standout’ magnetic feature with a coincident gravity anomaly at Worsley.
At Worsley, a single drillhole was terminate without testing the magnetic and gravity anomalies but the company says it intersected ‘highly’ anomalous copper (Cu), gold (Au), molybdenum (Mo), neodymium (Nb) and REEs.
The interpretation and integration of the new data is ongoing with expanded gravity coverage planned for early in the 2023 field season.
In addition to diamond drilling at Caird and Worsley, Encounter reports drilling plans for the Crean target are also well advanced, and this drilling is scheduled to start in April to June 2023, co-funded by the Western Australian Government Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS).
The Aileron Project is located in the West Arunta region of Western Australia around 600km west of Alice Springs. Prior to the recent magnetic and radiometric survey, several structures and geophysical targets have been identified through aerial and gravity surveys.
To date, only 1 diamond hole, EAL001, has been drilled within the project which targeted a discrete magnetic anomaly at the Worsley target.
The company says this hole was partially completed to a depth of 158m in October 2020 and drilled through 5m of shallow cover followed by brecciated hydrothermal hematite-chlorite-altered granite with a narrow mafic intrusion.
Assays from this hole included zones of anomalism consisting of up to 0.1% Cu, up to 48ppb Au, up to 155ppm Mo, up to 773ppm Nb and up to 0.8% TREO which is consistent with the IOCG deposit model.
The presence of ‘highly’ anomalous REE mineralisation at Aileron and the recent mineralised carbonatite discoveries by WA1 Resources indicate that an alkaline magmatic hydrothermal system has been active in the region. Such systems are known to play an ‘important’ role in the formation of both IOCG and carbonatite-hosted REE deposits.
Encounter Resources is a mineral exploration company listed on the ASX, focused on discovering ‘major’ copper-dominant deposits in Australia.
The company’s wholly owned projects include the Aileron Copper-REE and Lamil Copper Gold projects in Western Australia, as well as the Sandover Copper, and Junction Lithium projects in the Northern Territory.
It also has farm in agreements for the Elliot Copper, and the Jessica and Carrara Projects in the Northern Territory, as well as the Yeneena Project in Western Australia.
Images: Encounter Resources Ltd
