Aeon Metals Limited (ASX: AML) has received “exceptional” results at its Walford Creek Copper-Cobalt Project in north-west Queensland, Australia.
Thirty- one exploration holes have been completed for over 11,700 metres drilling in 2022.
The results for hole WFDH548 extend the Amy West high grade copper-cobalt footprint a further 90 metres east of hole WFDH378 (46m at 2.93% CuEq).
Further holes for which assay results are outstanding provide visual indication that mineralisation within PY3 extends another 500 metres east along strike.
Significantly, the top 48 metres of the WFDH548 intersection returned 1.78% copper and 0.33% cobalt, which is the highest-grade copper/cobalt intercept ever recorded at Walford Creek. The second intercept of 43 metres is copper-only rich and returned 1.57% copper, a record intercept for copper- only rich mineralisation.
By way of comparison, the Vardy and Marley (higher grade) copper Mineral Resource Estimates average 1.08% Cu and 0.15% Co.1 The in-situ grades from WFDH548 demonstrate a substantially higher tenor.
Managing Director and CEO, Dr Fred Hess, said the presence of the copper-only rich mineralisation is in itself a major development at Walford Creek. Previously, this style of mineralisation has been observed primarily in the dolomite sequence below PY3. Drill holes are typically extended beyond PY3 until they intersect the Fish River Fault. On occasions, they have extended further into the underlying dolomite sequence where variable intersections of copper-only rich mineralisation have been recorded. Because of its greater depth, this style of mineralisation has not been specifically targeted. The presence within the PY3 in hole WFDH548 suggests that the Walford Creek copper-only rich mineralisation exhibits greater opportunity than previously considered.
While higher grades were anticipated based on previous drilling, to have both record grade and width for both types of mineralisation in the same hole was unexpected. A number of further holes have been drilled along strike to the east for which assay results are now eagerly anticipated. Visual observations from the recently completed Amy West hole WFDH559 indicate wide zones of Cu-Pb- Zn sulphides, 600m east of WFDH548.
The assay results reported here and the visual observations of holes awaiting assay results in conjunction with earlier drilling results underpin increased confidence that this Amy West copper/cobalt rich zone has a potential strike length of approximately 1.2 km.
These results focus on the PY3 hosted mineralisation at Amy, while the true potential of the much shallower PY1 host remains poorly tested to date. Hole WFDH535 drilled almost 900 metres further to the east intercepted weak Pb-Zn mineralisation in PY1 at over 80 metres from the Fish River Fault. This hole was designed to target higher grade mineralisation closer to the fault and serves to demonstrate the importance of accurate drill targeting to define mineralisation at Walford Creek. At this much greater than targeted distance from the fault, lower grades and width are to be expected.
“The Amy zone potential for much higher grades was first recognised in 2018 with two drill holes almost one kilometre apart returning the highest grade mineral intercepts to that point at Walford Creek. The drilling results announced today reinforce the potential for the Amy zone to host significantly higher grade and thicker PY3 mineralisation than that already identified at the well-drilled Vardy and Marley zones further to the east,” Dr Hess said.
“Both holes reported are consistent with the Walford Creek geological model and demonstrate the previously observed behaviour whereby holes drilled adjacent to the fault are typically thicker and higher grade, while those drilled much further away tend to be thinner and lower grade.
“Of critical importance is that the high-grade hole 548 is actually comprised of two distinct intercepts separated by barely five metres, each of which represent the highest grade and thickness ever recorded respectively for copper/cobalt mineralisation (48m @ 3.95% recoverable CuEq) and copper- only mineralisation (43m @ 1.57% Cu) at Walford Creek.
“This is the first major intercept of copper-only rich mineralisation within the PY3. Previously, tantalising intercepts of copper-only mineralisation were observed within the Walford dolomite sequence below the PY3. Our exploration team, led by Greg Collins, are already working on the implications of these findings for further exploration, along with the exciting suite of geophysical targets recently reported.
“With today’s results, it is now likely that the Walford Creek system’s previous easterly centre of mass at Vardy and Marley zones will be joined by a higher-grade westerly concentration of mineralisation at Amy West, thereby offering up new possibilities for mine development and potentially project scale.”
For further information please visit: https://www.aeonmetals.com.au/
