With its latest batch of rock chip assays in hand, Stelar Metals (ASX:SLB) says it has identified a third parallel copper-bearing gossan to the east of its Baratta Copper Project in South Australia.
Located within the Adelaide Rift Complex, the project is considered prospective for sediment-hosted copper mineralisation similar to the Central African Copper Belt, which Stelar says is the second-largest copper-producing province behind Chile’s expansive porphyry deposits.
Baratta has now been mapped and sampled over 3.6km of strike, which remains open in both directions. Importantly, Stelar notes that “each new discovery of parallel mineralised gossans multiplies the economic potential” of the project.
In addition to the newly identified gossan, Stelar says infill rock chip sampling has emphasised the consistency of copper grades along the strike of the stacked gossans.
Assays returned up to 22% copper, with 27% of samples assaying over 10% copper and 69% at more than 5% copper.
Ongoing exploration activities are expected to include geological mapping, sampling, and geophysical re-processing and petrological examination of sulphide-bearing breccias from waste at the Baratta Project. The petrological analysis is currently being undertaken by Microanalysis in Perth.
Write to Oliver Gray at Mining.com.au
Images: iStock, Stelar Metals
