Inca Minerals uncovers bonanza grade copper, lead and silver at MaCauley Creek
Assays from rock chip sampling at MaCauley Creek returned up to 49% copper, 2,430g/t silver, 43.3% lead and 1.33% zinc, plus anomalous lithium.
Recent field exploration at Inca Minerals’ (ASX: ICG) MaCauley Creek project in north-east Queensland has generated “outstanding” bonanza grades of copper, silver, and lead, plus zinc, lithium, tantalum, tungsten and tin.
The company has received assays from surface rock chip sampling at the project, which has revealed several occurrences of high-grade copper, lead, zinc and silver, as well as “new economy” metals such as lithium, tin and tungsten across its tenement package.
Highlight results were bonanza grades of 49% copper, 2,430 grams per tonne silver, 43.3% lead, and 1.33% zinc.
One sample assayed 14.9% copper, 19.25% iron, 362g/t silver and 1,480ppm lead and another returned 7.81% copper, 43.3% lead, 8,780ppm zinc, 2,430g/t silver, 8,100ppm antimony, 999ppm cadmium and 169ppm molybdenum.
Inca noted the high-grade mineral occurrences are hosted in the Running River Metamorphices and Ewan Formations – the same geological lithologies that host the Mount Moss magnetite, copper, lead and silver mines, which are located 1km to the north.
Of the 70 samples collected and analysed, more than 35% contain ore grade copper, silver, lead and zinc.
Highly anomalous ‘new economy’ metals
Highly anomalous levels of ‘new economy’ metals such as lithium, tin, tantalum and tungsten were also recorded across the MaCauley Creek tenements – adding to the project’s prospectivity.
Values of up to 345ppm lithium, 500ppm tin and 125ppm tungsten were returned.
Importantly, the high-grade surface samples are coincident with significant geophysical anomalies, many of which have not been tested and will now become the focus of future exploration in 2023 and beyond.
Inca chairman Adam Taylor said the identification of ore grade base metals and silver in several locations together with anomalous levels of lithium, tin and tantalum opened up an exciting new opportunity for the company within MaCauley Creek.
“We are looking forward to progressing follow-up exploration programs to build on these significant results,” Mr Taylor said.
A number of highly prospective areas have been identified for follow-up exploration work, which would include systematic soil surveys, possible IP section lines and drill testing.
MaCauley Creek is located 150km north-west of Townsville and forms part of Inca’s portfolio of “frontier” exploration projects in Australia.