Pan Asia Metals (ASX:PAM) is ready to undertake an induced polarisation (IP) geophysics program at its Rosario Copper Project with the contractor now on site in Chile.
Managing Director Paul Lock says it is the first ever IP survey at Rosario, which is being done by Quantec Geoscience.
“Given the presence of small-scale historical mines, in conjunction with the high-grade rock chip and channel samples, and Rosario’s proximity to the famous El Salvador mine 10km to the south, we have a high level of confidence that the IP survey will produce interesting results,” he says.
“The IP survey will be closely followed by an inaugural drill program. Of further appeal is the fact that access is very good.”
The survey, which will comprise 19 IP lines for a total of 27 line kilometres, will provide high-resolution resistivity and chargeability imaging from surface down to about 300m.
The initial lines of the survey will focus on the historical Salvadora and Royal copper mines to test for sub-surface conductors associated with fresh copper mineralisation.
Previous rock chip sampling over these mines has returned “strong copper grades”, according to Pan Asia.
Once the IP survey has been completed over the Rosario East Trend that hosts the Salvadora and Royal mines, work will then begin on the Rosario Central and Rosario West trends.
Pan Asia says the goal is to map and detect Manto-style copper mineralisation, which is found in deposits along the coastal cordillera of northern Chile.
This will pave the way for drill targeting, delineation, and structural control identification.
Pan Asia expects the survey to take two weeks to complete.
The junior explorer, which has a market capitalisation of $10.6 million, is also in the process of sourcing a contractor in Chile to undertake a 2,500m reverse circulation drilling program planned for November.
Pan Asia says Rosario is one of the newest high-potential early stage copper projects in Chile’s Central Copper Belt.
In late July, the company entered into a six week exclusivity agreement to conduct due diligence on the project.
Write to Angela East at Mining.com.au
Images: Pan Asia Metals
