Mining

Emmerson Resources reveals visual copper at Hermitage prospect

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By Danica Cullinane - 
Emmerson Resources ASX ERM visual copper Hermitage prospect Tennant Creek

Emmerson Resources managing director Rob Bills says drilling has visually confirmed the ‘very high-grade’ nature of copper mineralisation at the Tennant Creek project.

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Gold and copper explorer Emmerson Resources (ASX: ERM) has visually confirmed the “very high-grade” nature of copper mineralisation encountered during follow-up drilling at the Hermitage prospect in the Northern Territory.

The company today revealed it has encountered a 38-metre intersection of new mineralisation consisting of malachite, native copper, chalcopyrite and potentially bornite from around 40m down one drill hole.

A second hole intersected 57m of native copper, malachite and chalcopyrite from 127m, hosted in brecciated hematite-quartz-jasper ironstone, with intermittent intervals of chlorite-hematite and vuggy hematite.

Hermitage is one of a cluster of prospects within Emmerson’s 100% owned tenements in Tennant Creek, NT. Other prospects within the project area include North Star, Jasper Hills, Katherine Star, Northern Star, Edna Beryl, Thrace and Macedon.

Discovery hole abandoned but follow-up planned for new holes

In late 2021, a phase one reverse circulation drilling program at Hermitage intersected 116m at 3.4% copper and 0.88 grams per tonne gold. This discovery drill hole was then followed up in the current phase two diamond drilling program.

The phase two campaign extended visual mineralisation in the discovery hole by a further 0.5m, intersecting massive hematite-magnetite ironstone with blebs of chalcopyrite. However, the hole was abandoned due to drilling difficulties after encountering broken ground likely associated with a late fault.

On the contrary, two diamond drill holes intersected new zones of mineralisation that Emmerson managing director Rob Bills described as “very high-grade” in nature.

“HERCDD5 intersected an entirely new zone of malachite, chalcopyrite and possible bornite mineralisation, that is relatively shallow and some 40m outside of the central ironstone.”

“We look forward to the assay results, particularly for the gold and cobalt, which cannot be visually seen or estimated due to their small grainsize,” he added.

Mr Bills said several post mineral faults were encountered and are common in many deposits across the Tennant Creek mineral field – one of Australia’s highest grade gold provinces.

“These faults are likely late thrust faults as seen at the nearby North Star and Jasper Hills projects, and where they have relatively small displacements.”

“It is anticipated that with further drilling the offset portion of the ironstone will be intersected in future drill holes,” he said.

Emmerson anticipates first assay results from Hermitage to return from the laboratory in late June.

Meanwhile, the company is planning further drilling to better delineate the full spatial extent of the copper zones identified to date.

“It is becoming apparent that there are a number of both shallow secondary and also deeper primary copper targets within the Hermitage project,” Emmerson stated.

NSW assets

In addition to Tennant Creek in the NT, Emmerson is exploring across four early-stage gold-copper projects in the Macquarie Arc region of New South Wales.

The company is preparing to start a six-hole, 4,000m phase two drilling program at the Kiola project by mid-year.