Mining

Duke Exploration expands Queensland copper potential with grant of Waitara tenement

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By Lorna Nicholas - 
Duke Exploration DEX ASX Bundarra Waitara Copper silver porphyry

Historic drilling at Waitara returned 16m at 2.14% copper from 22m and 99m at 0.35% copper from 11m.

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Duke Exploration’s (ASX: DEX) copper exposure in central Queensland has expanded with the grant of exploration permit EPM 27609, which covers the Waitara copper and silver porphyry prospect.

The company has secured the exploration permit for five years, with the tenement covering six sub-blocks.

Between 1972 and 1979 drilling was carried out at Waitara and unearthed multiple thick and near-surface mineralised copper intersections.

Notable historic results were 16m at 2.14% copper from 22m, 102m at 0.22% copper from 28m, 99m at 0.35% copper from 11m, and 12m at 0.43% copper from 74m.

Duke chairman Toko Kapea said the company was “pleased” to have the tenement granted – enabling work on the ground to follow up on “interesting” past exploration results.

Mr Kapea pointed out Waitara was only 20km to the east of the company’s flagship Bundarra copper project. Access is via sealed roads, with Mr Kapea noting any potential future production from Waitara could easily be transported to Bundarra for processing.

“We look forward to adding resources from this new opportunity in the future and like Bundarra expect a few surprises along the way,” Mr Kapea said.

Bundarra copper project

At Bundarra, Duke is fast-tracking exploration across the project, which is sees as possessing near-term development potential for a large-scale copper-silver-gold operation.

During the 1800s, Bundarra was recognised as the highest-grade copper project in Australia with 47 historic workings across the tenement and copper grades ranging between 7-16%.

Duke is actively exploring Bundarra with a phase two infill drilling campaign underway at the Mt Flora target.

Over at the project’s Quarry Anomaly, pattern resource drilling is being carried out with a focus on a higher-grade northern strike extension.

Meanwhile, follow up geophysics surveys at Quorn will be completed to assist with planning a follow up drilling program.

Other geophysics work including gradient array and pXRF soil sampling is planned at Quorn and the Isens underground mine area.

To fast-track resource and exploration drilling at Mt Flora, Quorn and Quarry prospects, Duke is sourcing a second rig.