- 01Copper at Sybil; P4 conductor ~400x200m.
- 02Illogwa Creek: sulphide mafic rocks; untested conductor.
- 0319 rock chips sent; assays due this month.
Field reconnaissance by Litchfield Minerals (ASX: LMS) at its Harts Range project in the Northern Territory has identified copper-bearing minerals at the Sybil prospect, and sulphide-bearing mafic rocks near a priority electromagnetic (EM) target along the Illogwa Creek structural corridor.
The targets were identified through a review of historical airborne EM surveys and exploration records, with visual observations of chalcopyrite and nearby copper-carbonate staining at Sybil providing a clear focus around a P4 conductor that has been modelled at approximately 400 metres long and 200m wide.
At Illogwa, the combination of sulphide-bearing mafic rocks, an untested conductor, and an interpreted deep structural corridor offered a compelling target for the company’s broader orthomagmatic copper-nickel exploration model.
Ground EM is now being organised across priority targets with 19 rock chip samples—12 from Sybil and seven from Illogwa, together with a standard and a blank—being sent to the laboratory and assays expected within the month.
Litchfield will integrate the assays, surface mapping, and refined conductor models to select potential targets for drilling.
Modelled Conductor Plates
The Sybil prospect lies approximately 33 kilometres southeast of Litchfield’s Oonagalabi project, with examinations of geology around historical versatile time domain electromagnetic (VTEM) conductor areas and rock chip locations identifying seven modelled conductor plates of substantial scale.
The strongest field observations were recorded in the P4 area, where garnet-bearing amphibolite contains fine disseminated sulphides visually identified as chalcopyrite and pyrite.
Northwest of P4, the field team identified malachite staining along a faulted contact between felsic gneiss and altered amphibolite.
The host outcrop was traced for 50m, with the copper-bearing zone deemed to be up to 1m wide at surface while continuous copper mineralisation over the mapped extent and true width were not established.
Litchfield will conduct follow-up ground EM work to refine conductor geometry and assess whether the surface observations relate to conductive sources at depth.
Sulphide-Bearing Rocks
Reconnaissance near a historical airborne electromagnetic anomaly at Illogwa Creek identified sulphide-bearing mafic rocks within altered felsic gneiss along the Illogwa Creek Shear Zone, along with pyrite, chalcopyrite, and possible pyrrhotite.
The team traced a mafic intrusion of 200m in length, also noting foliated and less-deformed rocks with local iron oxidation, silica alteration, and moderate to strong magnetism.
Potassic and epidote alteration was also reported at locations up to 1km from the surface expression of the conductor, with localised silica, sericite, chlorite, and possible actinolite alteration around the mafic rocks.
Research and interpretation by Litchfield suggest the Illogwa Creek Shear Zone may extend into the deep crust and potentially connect with mantle-derived magmatic pathways.
Follow-up ground EM and assessment of the samples is expected to help test how the surface sulphides, host rocks and alteration relate to the EM response.
Exciting Step Forward
Managing director Matt Pustahya said finding copper-bearing minerals at surface in the large modelled EM conductors was an exciting step forward for Litchfield.
“At Sybil, we have visually identified chalcopyrite in the P4 target area and malachite nearby, and these observations give us a stronger geological basis to pursue the copper potential below surface and sharpen our next phase of exploration,” he said.
“Illogwa Creek is one of the areas we are most excited to advance and our interpretation points to a deep structural corridor that may have provided a pathway for mantle-derived magmas.”
“What makes this target compelling is the combination of that setting, sulphide-bearing mafic rocks, and a priority EM conductor—we feel that is a strong reason to test our wider copper-nickel model.”
“We are eager to get ground EM across Illogwa and the priority Sybil targets with a focus on resolving the conductors, integrating the pending assays, and turning these opportunities into well-defined drill targets.”
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