Tennant Minerals (ASX:TMS) reports the existence of ‘thick’ zones of hematite alteration and ‘significant’ copper mineralisation, following an ongoing diamond drilling program at its 100% owned Barkly Project in the Northern Territory.
The results, generated via three diamond drill holes at the project’s Bluebird Copper-Gold discovery, have delivered ‘major’ extensions of the discovery to the west and a further 100m deeper, totalling more than 250m below surface.
Speaking on the results, Tennant Minerals Chairman Matthew Driscoll said: “We are delighted that the follow-up diamond drilling program at the Bluebird Copper-Gold discovery continues to intersect significant thicknesses of copper mineralisation.
Critically, the latest drilling has intersected the mineralisation a further 100m down-plunge to the west on a steeper orientation.
This has now opened up the potential for the Bluebird discovery to continue to much greater depth.
This has now opened up the potential for the Bluebird discovery to continue to much greater depth
We look forward to finishing our stage 1 follow-up drilling, receiving the assay results, and completing the drone-magnetics modelling and targeting.
The results of these critical programs will enable the company to target stage 2 step-out drilling at Bluebird, and test other key targets within the 5km Bluebird corridor, to unlock the true potential of what is clearly a very exciting copper-gold discovery in this historic and well-endowed mineral field.”
Tennant Minerals also notes that the deepest drillhole to date (BBDD0013) highlights the potential for the ‘high-grade’ zone to continue to a much greater depth, as seen with other major deposits within the Tennant Creek Mineral Field, with mineralisation dipping steeply to the north.
In addition, the company reports that it will utilise drone magnetics processing and modelling in order to define multiple additional copper-gold targets across the 5km Bluebird corridor.
The Barkly Project is located about 45km east of the township of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory and comprises two granted exploration licences.
The project is considered ‘highly prospective’ for gold-copper deposits that are similar to other major deposits found across the Tennant Creek Mineral Field, including the Peko deposit that has produced 147,000 tonnes at 4% Cu and 414,000oz at 10g/t Au.
With stage 1 of the follow-up drilling campaign still ongoing, Tennant reports that it is now focused on testing the newfound mineralisation to the west and down plunge of the Bluebird discovery with down-hole electromagnetics being carried out on the deepest drillholes.
Images: Tennant Minerals Ltd
