Augustus Minerals reports high-grade copper samples from Ti-Tree critical minerals project

Augustus Minerals (ASX: AUG) has reported rock chips grading up to 18% copper from recent field work at new targets within the Ti-Tree critical minerals project in Western Australia’s Gascoyne region.

The company returned assays up to 17.8% copper and 282 grams per tonne silver from the Tiberius zone, which is currently 3 metres wide and extends for over 200m along strike.

It also returned grades up to 6.6% copper and 86g/t silver with associated gold anomalism to 0.68g/t from the Claudius prospect, 11 kilometres south of Tiberius and comprised of several parallel zones over a 100m by 300m area.

Both areas contain mineralised veins and historic workings and neither prospect is recorded on Geological Survey of WA maps.

Significant prospectivity

General manager (exploration) Andrew Ford said Tiberius and Claudius highlight the significant prospectivity of the Gascoyne region.

“Our latest results highlight the potential of this under-explored area to host undiscovered mineralisation,” he said.

“Less than 5% of Ti-Tree’s 3,600 sq km of acreage has had any previous exploration, so to discover unrecorded historic mining areas is very exciting.”

Vein systems

The Tiberius prospect comprises a quartz-sulphide vein system up to 3m wide and outcrops for over 200m.

Another vein set was identified 600m along strike east-to-northeast of the main vein, increasing the potential size of the target.

The high-grade veins are reported to contain oxidised copper, high silver grades, lead sulphide and anomalous gold.

The Claudius prospect is located 10km to the south-west of Tiberius and is comprised of quartz-veined brecciated and silicified granite.

The main area of outcropping mineralisation has been trenched by prospectors and rock chip sampling returned strong copper mineralisation in an iron-rich siliceous vein.

Soil program

Augustus is continuing a program of approximately 4,000 soil samples to extend the existing coverage at Ti-Tree.

Samples are being collected on a nominal 100m by 400m regional grid, with more regional areas expanded to 100m by 800m.

Work started in the western zones and first results are expected in the coming weeks.