- 01Nyungu Central: 27m @0.69% Cu from 102m.
- 02Phase 3 drilling extended to 13.375km; 20 assays pending.
- 03Sharamba Cu discovery; Kabikupa drilling advanced.
Prospect Resources (ASX: PSC) has expanded Phase 3 drilling at its 90%-owned Mumbezhi copper project in Zambia after new high-grade results strengthened the case for further resource growth immediately south-east of the Nyungu Central deposit.
The latest assays included 27 metres at 0.69% copper from 102m, alongside separate intersections of 5.1m at 0.99% copper and 3.8m at 0.95% copper from drilling up-dip of earlier step-out results, with reported lengths representing down-hole intervals rather than true widths.
Prospect has completed 29 Phase 3 diamond holes for 8,863m at Nyungu Central, including approved infill work, with assays still pending for 20 holes and 16 resource extension and infill holes marked as priorities.
All of the new intersections sit outside the existing mineral resource estimate, with Prospect adding 3,375m of extensional diamond drilling to lift the Nyungu Central Phase 3 target to 13,375m.
The expanded work will focus on the eastern flank and northern down-plunge areas while drilling, assays and regional exploration continue across the broader Mumbezhi program.
Nyungu Extension Zone
The latest drilling continues to define mineralisation south-east of the May 2026 Indicated and Inferred MRE of 154.4 million tonnes at 0.42% copper and 0.51% copper equivalent at a 0.2% copper cut-off grade.
Prospect has linked the new results to a continuous strong and shallow airborne electromagnetic anomaly and an improved structural interpretation involving a mafic intrusive unit beneath the mineralised ore schist sequence.
“The broader extension potential at Nyungu Central has justified a significant increase in budgeted diamond drill metres this year, with this expanded focus now directed to the eastern flank and northern down plunge areas that continue to offer genuine potential,” managing director Sam Hosack said.
“We are also encouraged by the initial assay results received from the Sharamba prospect, where we have confirmed a copper discovery and significantly upgraded the potential of this +3km long structural sequence.”
“Finally, while it has been frustrating to see drilling progress sharply outpace assay turnaround of results, we have proven a significantly quicker alternate testing pathway to mitigate this challenge and accelerate the return of key extensional and infill results at Nyungu Central and Kabikupa.”
Regional Targets Add Momentum
First-pass drilling at Sharamba has produced an initial copper discovery, with the first two holes returning 4m at 0.25% copper from 154m and 7m at 0.22% copper from 106m.
Prospect completed eight Sharamba holes for 2,358m, including one abandoned hole, and considers the early mineralisation potentially part of a larger system across about three kilometres of prospective structural sequence.
At Kabikupa, four of eight planned extensional holes have been completed for 550m, targeting areas up-dip of the existing MRE, while priority assays remain pending for three holes.
Four diamond drill rigs are operating across Mumbezhi, with three at Nyungu Central and one at Kabikupa, while a rig is due to move to Kamafamba and then Chipimpa.
Assays And Study Timeline
Prospect has completed more than half of its budgeted 22,000m of diamond drilling for 2026, but laboratory congestion in Zambia has created a sizeable backlog in assay results.
To improve turnaround times, MRE-related samples from Nyungu Central and Kabikupa are being prepared by Intertek in Kitwe before the pulps are air freighted to Intertek in Perth for copper, cobalt and gold analysis.
The company has also increased staffing within its Mumbezhi geological teams to accelerate logging and sampling of the core backlog and support the prioritisation of key holes.
The Mumbezhi Scoping Study remains on track for completion and release in the first quarter of 2027 as Prospect continues drilling aimed at expanding and upgrading the project’s defined copper resources.
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