Gold and copper minerals explorer Tennant Minerals (ASX:TMS) reports the presence of a 7m zone of predominantly massive copper sulphides following a stage two diamond drilling (DD) program at its Bluebird copper-gold discovery.
Bluebird is located within the company’s 100% owned Barkly Project, at the eastern edge of the Tennant Creek (copper-gold) Mineral Field (TCMF), which produced over 5Moz of gold and over 500,000 tonnes of copper from 1934 to 2005.
The results, generated by the first drillhole (BBDD0018) of the 10 drillhole DD program at the ‘high-grade’ Bluebird copper-gold deposit, indicate that the intersected 7m zone contains 60% massive copper sulphides within a 32.5m intensely haematite-copper mineralised zone.
This 32.5m mineralised zone represents an extension of the upper dilational zone west of the previous thick and ‘high-grade’ copper-gold intersections generated from previous drilling, which include 40m at 2.6% copper (Cu), 1.34g/t gold (Au) from 131m, including 4.75m at 15.2% Cu (BBDD0013).
The current ongoing drillhole (BBDD0019) has commenced with a goal of testing deeper extensions of the Bluebird deposit, where the deepest intersection to date (17.8m at 3.7% Cu, 0.34g/t Au from 277m, BBDD0015) indicates proximity to a second dilational zone at depth.
Drilling will also aim at following up on results of the IP geophysics program recently completed over the Bluebird mineralisation
Drilling will also aim at following up on results of the IP geophysics program recently completed over the Bluebird mineralisation, which represents an 80m step-out to the west of drillhole BBDD0018.
Tennant Minerals also notes that the presence of a second ‘high-grade’ dilational zone at depth and potential extensions to the west would offer potential to define a multi-million tonne Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the Bluebird deposit.
The planned MRE will share similar dimensions to the nearby Peko deposit, which boasts a past production of 3.7Mt at 4% Cu and 3.5g/t Au.
Results returned from the IP program demonstrate a distinct low resistivity and coincident chargeability response corresponding with the Bluebird mineralisation on the central section 448,360mE, confirming that the deposit can be detected with IP.
In addition, a second reverse circulation (RC) drill rig has been mobilised to the Bluebird deposit to carry out further drilling in order to test the priority copper-gold targets identified from the magnetics and gravity modelling, as well as the IP survey.
Tennant Minerals is an ASX-listed exploration and development company with a primary focus on its two Barkly and Babbler Copper-Gold Projects. The Barkly project represents the company’s current exploration focus and is located about 45km east of the township of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. The project comprises two granted exploration licences and is considered prospective for ‘high-grade’ magnetite hosted copper-gold deposits, which are similar to other major deposits found elsewhere in the Tennant Creek Mineral Field.
With drilling still ongoing, Tennant Minerals announces it remains focused on extending the Bluebird deposit to a depth of more than 400m and along strike to the west.
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