Galena Mining Limited (ASX: G1A) announced that the company’s first-ever targeted copper hole at the Abra Base Metals Project in Western Australia hit 26.9m at 1.4% copper, including 8.9m at 2.3%, and 3m at 4.2g/t gold and 1.1% copper.
The company said that the hole AB195 was drilled specifically to target the interpreted copper-gold zone adjacent to and below existing lead-silver mineralisation.
Significant copper-gold intersections from AB195 included 3.0m at 4.2g/t gold and 1.1% copper from 670.7m, 2.0m at 6.9% copper from 698.1m, and 26.9m at 1.4% copper from 763.8m, including 8.9m at 2.3% copper from 773.0m.
The company said that significant copper and gold mineralisation in AB195 occurred within the potential copper-gold channel zone interpreted by the Company’s geological and geophysical review in 2020.
G1A said that the DHEM survey is planned to be conducted on AB195 during the second quarter of 2021 for the definition of conductive plates within its vicinity.
2020 Abra drilling program
Galena had concluded the 2020 Abra drilling program in late-December with 57 diamond core drill-holes successfully completed for 24,832 cumulative linear metres.
Significant high-grade gold and copper intersections observed in drill-holes targeting leadsilver mineralisation during the recently completed 2020 Abra Drilling Program had included 3.0 metes at 2.0% copper, 2.3g/t gold, and 29g/t silver from 401.6m in AB174; 6.0 metres at 1.8% copper and 1.3g/t gold from 391.8m in AB179; and 4.9 metres at 1.0 g/t gold and 24g/t silver from 424.2m in AB166.
Drill-hole AB195 was drilled as part of the 2020 Abra Drilling Program and was the first-ever drill-hole at Abra drilled to specifically target the interpreted zone of gold and copper mineralisation lying immediately adjacent to and underneath the heavily explored lead and silver mineralised zones.
G1A has now reported high-grade results from AB195.
Outstanding success from AB195
The company announced that AB195 was an outstanding success, intersecting 3.0 metres at 4.2g/t gold and 1.1% copper from 670.7 metres, 2.0 metres at 6.9% copper from 698.1 metres, and 26.9 metres at 1.4% copper from 763.8 metres, including 8.9 metres at 2.3% copper from 773.0m.
G1A said that prior to intersecting the copper-gold zone, drill-hole AB195 passed through the Abra lead silver zones, with significant intersections of 8.0 metres at 8.0% lead and 17g/t silver from 406.8 metres, 5.5 metres at 12.1% lead, and 12g/t silver from 541.3 metres, and 11.3 metres at 6.6% lead and 10g/t silver from 559.8 metres.
Within copper-gold channel zone
The company said that the drill hole AB195’s success was borne out by the fact the significant copper and gold mineralisation was intersected where potential for gold-copper channels was interpreted to be, based on a major geological and geophysical interpretation exercise carried out by the Company in 2020.
G1A noted that the grade and thickness parameters from sub-sections within the broarder intersection (ie, 8.9 metres at 2.3% copper) also line up favourably in value terms with the lead-silver reserve grades. The wider significant copper intersection in drill-hole AB195 occurred within a 45 metre zone of visual intermittent massive and disseminated copper-bearing chalcopyrite mineralisation from a down-hole depth of 752 metres.
DHEM survey planned
The company announced that a downhole electromagnetic survey program is planned to be conducted on AB195 during the second quarter of 2021.
Updates and next steps
The company said that the 2020 Abra resource development drilling program is ongoing and focused on infill drilling of the Apron lead-silver orebody to support mine design work; testing selected prospective ‘metal rich’ zones that have potential to enhance life of mine plan optimisation; and testing prospective gold-copper zones.
G1A said that the data gained from the DHEM survey will be combined to update the Company’s previous geological and geophysical analysis for the interpreted copper and gold zone to establish the best plan for follow-up drilling.
Management comments
Galena’s Managing Director, Alex Molyneux said: “We’re astounded at the success of drillhole AB195 in intersecting significant mineralisation where we interpreted the gold and copper zone to be! We’re planning a follow-up downhole electromagnetic survey to take place in Q2 this year to consider further copper-gold targeted drilling thereafter.”
*Image Source: Galena Mining Limited