True North Copper (ASX:TNC) has completed its 2026 drilling campaign at the Cloncurry Copper Project in North West Queensland, with exploration now kicking off at the nearby Mt Oxide Project.
The company completed 3,500m of reverse circulation drilling and 2,300m of diamond drilling across multiple targets including Great Australia Mine, Taipan, Orphan Shear, and Wallace North and South prospects.
The program targeted resource extensions, near-mine exploration opportunities, and technical studies to increase resource confidence and support future reserve conversion ahead of the planned Prefeasibility Study.
Assays from reverse circulation and resource extension drilling are expected to be released from early June, while diamond drilling assays and metallurgical and geotechnical outcomes are expected through to September 2026.
Managing Director Andrew Mooney says the completion of drilling at Cloncurry marks “another important step” in advancing the asset and building a technical foundation for future development.
“Our focus is on developing a robust and right-sized project with a credible near-term production pathway, supported by resource growth, improved geological confidence, and disciplined technical studies,” Mooney says.
The drilling campaign was intended to follow up intercepts from last year’s drilling, including 9m @ 4.33% copper and 3.64 grams per tonne gold from 108m at Wallace North.
Drilling at Wallace North targeted extensions to previously identified copper-gold mineralisation and new geophysical targets identified through recent electromagnetic and induced polarisation surveys.
The Cloncurry Copper Project hosts a mineral resource of 13.63 million tonnes @ 0.8% copper and 0.19g/t gold for 109,000 tonnes of contained copper.
True North’s flagship Mt Oxide Project is now the company’s main focus of exploration, where it holds a 220,000-tonne copper resource alongside cobalt and silver mineralisation.
True North Copper is focused on advancing its portfolio of copper assets in North Queensland.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: True North Copper
