Confidence Grows In Deeper Copper Bearing System in Arizona
Eagle Mountain Mining Limited (ASX:EM2) has announced some positive assay results from its recently commenced drilling programme at the 80% owned Oracle Ridge Mine Project in Arizona, USA.
CEO, Tim Mason, said prospectivity for a deeper copper-bearing system has improved as a result of veins and breccias cross- cutting the Leatherwood granitic intrusive, suggesting that some of the copper ore emplaced occurred after the Leatherwood was formed.
For approximately 45m from 317m downhole, visual disseminated copper mineralisation was observed including high-grade veins and breccias up to 1.5m thick.
Highlights results include 11.55% Cu, 273 g/t Ag and 5.41 g/t Au over 1.5m in Breccia in drill hole WT-20-10.
“These exceptional assay results and style of mineralisation further underpins our belief in the potential for a larger mineralised system at Oracle Ridge,” Mr Mason said.
“The discovery of these breccia zones in drillholes WT20-06 and WT-20-10 is a major milestone in our understanding of the larger system that feeds the skarn. The high-grade breccia zone in hole WT-20-10 appears to cut through the Leatherwood granitic intrusive near the contact with the limestone skarns.
“Breccia zones have the potential to run deep and the very high-grade nature of mineralisation encountered thus far set these breccias as priority exploration targets. We are excited for drilling to resume in early January after the Christmas break.”
Managing Director, Charlie Bass, said intrusive breccias often act as ore guides in many districts as a result of their close association of these features with ore due to hydrothermal activity along structural zones, such as faults and dikes.
“These breccias are often pipe-like but could be up to 500m in depth or 100’s of metres in strike and dip dimensions.
“Not all breccias are necessarily mineralised, but in our case the two different breccias encountered in drill holes WT-20-06 and WT-20-10 in the vicinity of a possible larger fault system is very encouraging and points towards a deeper mineralising system that could sit below the Leatherwood granitic intrusive.”
Mr Bass said prospectivity for a deeper copper-bearing system has improved as a result of veins and breccias cross- cutting the Leatherwood granitic intrusive, suggesting that some of the copper ore emplaced occurred after the Leatherwood was formed.
For approximately 45m from 317m downhole, visual disseminated copper mineralisation was observed including high-grade veins and breccias up to 1.5m thick.
