Arizona copper explorer and developer Eagle Mountain Mining Limited (ASX:EM2) has received further high-grade copper assays at the Western Talon target update at its 100% owned Oracle Ridge Mine Project in Arizona, USA.
Assays have been received for seven drill holes completed in the Western Talon area, which is located outside the existing JORC Mineral Resource of 12.2Mt at 1.51% Cu for 184kt contained copper.
“We are delighted that drilling continues to deliver further strong results which supports the upside prospectivity at Oracle Ridge,” CEO Tim Mason said.
“All these results are outside the existing JORC Mineral Resources Estimate (JORC MRE), further supporting the potential to build our mineral resources. These results are from the Wave Zone, part of the Western Talon, which continues to excite us with a combination of both high-grade mineralisation and broad mineralised zones which may be more amendable to larger scale mining methods with relatively lower mining costs on a unit basis.
“To provide improved access to target this prospective area, we are currently constructing two new pads above the historic Leatherwood mine which reported historic production of 12% Cu, 200g/t Ag and 1g/t Au.
“The longer turnaround time for assays means we now have 39 holes pending results. This is certainly disappointing, although not unique as these delays are impacting most companies in our sector. We remain on track to deliver an update on our JORC MRE in Q1 2022 which will include these latest results.”
WT-21-50
WT-21-50 was drilled at the northern end of the Talon magnetic anomaly. This area is characterised by the eastern end of the Wave with steep geometry cross-cutting the prospective.
WT-21-50 was completed approximately 50 metres to the east of drill hole WT-21-19 (1.4m @ 1.02% Cu, 3.40g/t Ag, 0.04g/t Au) and C-058 (10.1m @ 3.47% Cu, 35.23g/t Ag). Several stacked mineralisation zones were encountered with the best intervals of:
• 14.1m at 1.51% Cu, 12.06g/t Ag and 0.42g/t Au, just below the Leatherwood Q Sill; and
• 7.3m at 1.88% Cu, 12.09g/t Ag and 0.15g/t Au, near the Leatherwood-Sediments contact.
The strong spatial correlation between sediment-intrusive contact and mineralisation suggests that the eastern end of the Wave could also represent a favourable location for developing skarn alteration and copper mineralisation. It is believed faulting may have impacted WT-21-19 and C-058, with WT-21-65 drilled to confirm the western extent of these mineralised zones.
WT-21-46
Drillhole WT-21-46 targeting the core of the Wave (Figure 5), between high-grade mineralisation in WT21-32 to the north (28.9m at 2.34% Cu, 21.95g/t Ag and 0.37g/t Au) and WT-21-40 to the south (22.5m at 2.84% Cu, 27.46g/t Ag and 0.48g/t Au) and approximately 40 metres to the northwest of WT-21-44.
Multiple stacked lodes were intersected with the best result of 12.7m at 1.88% Cu, 15.44g/t Ag and 0.28g/t Au. A broader zone of 43.2m at 1.05% Cu, 8.85g/t Ag and 0.23g/t Au was also defined encompassing the deeper high-grade zones. The results from WT-21-46 confirm the continuity of mineralisation in this area of the Western Talon.
They also suggest a minimum east-west extent for the mineralisation exceeding 40 metres.
WT-21-44
WT-21-44 was drilled in the mineralised core of the Wave , between high-grade mineralisation in WT-21-32 to the north and WT-21-40 to the south. The drill hole confirmed the continuity of the mineralisation with the best interval of 13.4m at 1.98% Cu, 15.96g/t Ag and 0.35g/t Au within a broad zone of 61.5m at 1.07% Cu, 9.87g/t Ag and 0.14g/t Au.
These results coupled with strong mineralisation in WT-21-46 to the west confirm the endowment of the Wave on this section with a suggested east-west extent of the mineralised zone exceeding 40 metres. Results are pending for drill hole WT-21-54, which was completed 50 metres to the east of WT-21-44.
WT-21-42
WT-21-42 was drilled in the Western Talon area, testing extensions to mineralisation in hole WT-21-40 (22.5m at 2.84% Cu, 27.46g/t Ag and 0.48g/t Au). The drill hole encountered 4.7m at 1.49% Cu, 13.78g/t Ag and 0.15g/t Au at the Leatherwood-Sediments contact.
WT-21-43
WT-21-43 was drilled in the Western Talon area, testing extensions to mineralisation in hole WT-21-39 (28.0m at 1.62% Cu, 12.44g/t Ag and 0.23g/t Au). The drill hole encountered two narrow mineralised zones at the Leatherwood-Sediments contact with a high-grade intercept of 0.8m at 7.75% Cu, 258g/t Ag and 2.54g/t Au.
These two zones are interpreted as extensions to recent intersections in WT-21-39 and historical intersections in C-115 (1.8m @ 3.49% Cu, 21.26 g/t Ag) although further drilling is required to refine the local geological model. Similar to drill hole WT-21-42, WT-21-43 appears to have intersected the western side of the Wave, explaining the relatively narrow intercept received.
WT-21-45
WT-21-45 was drilled in the mineralised core of the Wave, approximately 70 metres to the south of drill hole WT-21-39 (28.0m at 1.62% Cu, 12.44g/t Ag and 0.23g/t Au). The drill hole intersected a 74.4m zone of mineralisation at 0.93% Cu, 6.92g/t Ag and 0.1g/t Au including multiple high-grade zones up to 3.1m at 6.85% Cu, 32.23g/t Ag and 0.13g/t Au.
While the tenor of mineralisation is marginally lower than that in drill holes just to the north (such as WT-21-39), its thickness is highly encouraging. Significant potential exists to extend this mineralisation to the east, towards C-113 (7.9m @ 1.53%Cu, 14.44 g/t Ag) and to the southeast, towards the southern Talon area.
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