QMines to drill Tracker 3 copper-zinc anomalies at Mt Chalmers project
QMines plans to despatch new diamond drill core for assay by the end of the week.
Exploration company QMines (ASX: QML) is preparing to drill the first of four copper-zinc soil anomalies at the Tracker 3 prospect within its flagship Mt Chalmers copper-gold project near Rockhampton in Queensland.
A first-pass program comprising approximately 10 holes for 2,000 metres has been designed to test the prospect which represents a near-mine exploration opportunity for the company.
The prospect is a 750m by 750m ring-shaped copper soil anomaly with a further satellite 500m by 200m elongate copper soil anomaly to the northeast.
It is interpreted to represent the surface expression of buried volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) mineralisation draped around a barren core, similar in geometry to the original Mt Chalmers deposit.
Large zinc soil anomalies partly overlap these copper anomalous zones.
Rock chip samples
A total of 77 surface rock chip samples were collected by various historic explorers at Tracker 3.
Most were of weathered or gossanous andesitic/tuff breccia, with 23 samples returning grades of more than 1,000 parts per million copper and six samples returning more than 1,000ppm zinc.
Best results were 12,800ppm (1.28%) copper and 25,000ppm (2.5%) zinc.
Limited history
Tracker 3 has a limited history of exploration, with records showing only five holes drilled by International Nickel Australia in 1969.
The holes were drilled as one 64m northeast-southwest fence with hole spacings of approximately 16m across a single 3,245ppm copper in rock chip surface sample.
This target was close to the centre of the Tracker 3 anomalies.
Each hole was vertically drilled to a 22.9m depth and logged and sampled at 1.5m intervals.
Lithology logs and corresponding assay results for copper, lead and zinc were located with a best intersection of 6.1m at 2,894ppm copper from 9.1m.
Data digitisation
QMines has completed a regional soil geochemical data acquisition and digitisation program, digitising 19,092 soil samples collected and sampled by Geopeko and International Nickel during their operations in the Mt Chalmers area.
QMines is currently designing a program of deeper reverse circulation drilling to test a large geochemical target at Tracker 3.
Access and site preparation work for the program are underway, with drilling to follow.