Emmerson Resources hits visual copper-gold at Hermitage project
Emmerson Resources managing director Rob Bills says Hermitage is exhibiting hallmarks of a “significant gold-copper discovery”.
Perth-based Emmerson Resources (ASX: ERM) has intersected visual copper-gold in drilling at the Hermitage project in the Northern Territory.
The latest drill hole hit four main zones of mineralisation including malachite (copper carbonate) in hematite ironstone with voids/vugs; native copper in hematite-magnetite ironstone and vugs; free disseminated gold in hematite-magnetite-quartz ironstone; and a new zone of chalcopyrite and bornite in quartz stockwork veins.
The hole was completed in the opposite direction to previous drilling to test below a fault encountered in a discovery drill hole in March, which returned 116m at 3.4% copper and 0.88 grams per tonne gold, and confirmed that copper mineralisation continues at depth.
Follow-up diamond drilling in May extended the discovery hole a further 0.5m, intersecting massive hematite-magnetite ironstone with blebs of chalcopyrite (up to 2% of volume) before encountering broken ground likely to be associated with a late fault.
The hole was eventually abandoned due to drilling difficulties.
Significant discovery
Emmerson managing director Rob Bills said the results show that Hermitage is shaping up to be a significant copper-gold discovery.
“There are now three distinct targets at the project, which include shallow copper in the oxide zone; gold associated with massive hematite; and primary copper mineralisation below the fault hosted in breccias, stockwork veins and fractures,” he said.
“This has important exploration implications in terms of further potential for Hermitage and also in the region where the stockwork and fracture-controlled chalcopyrite-bornite mineralisation represents a new target.”
Cluster of prospects
Hermitage is part of a cluster of prospects, which occur within the northern corridor at Tennant Creek on Emmerson’s wholly-owned tenements.
Hermitage, North Star, Jasper Hills, Katherine Star and Northern Star are located within one mining lease, while the Edna Beryl, Thrace and Macedon prospects are within another.
They all occur along the northern gravity corridor, within denser, hematitic shales, jasper and ironstones which are the typical host to the high-grade mineralisation.
“This area has seen little modern exploration and some areas have restricted access which we hope to unlock in the future,” Mr Bills said.