QMines gains access to latest copper discovery, drilling to begin
Just ten days after announcing the discovery of three large copper gossans, QMines (ASX:QML) has executed an access agreement with the landowner.
The company is planning a 30-hole drilling program for the new Artillery Road find and has begun preparations to get a drill rig on to the site.
Last week QMines announced it had identified three large anomalous copper gossans near its Mt Chalmers flagship project, 17km northeast of Rockhampton.
The large gossan outcrop extends over 700m, with an adjacent zinc soil anomaly.
34 anomalies to be investigated
The landowner concerned has agreed to allow access with compensation terms settled.
In all, there are 34 individual anomalies identified across the gossans which were identified by an electromagnetic survey.
The company says ground investigations of the top three targets have returned very encouraging signs of mineralisation.
The gossanous outcrops, comprising iron oxides with visible copper mineralisation, measure more than 700m in strike and are up to 20m wide at surface.
A further broad anomaly, measuring 400m by 250m, has returned readings of up to 100 parts per million zinc.
Significant work already completed
Managing Director Andrew Sparke has previously noted that the Artillery Road prospect, on which the anomalies were identified, has geological similarities with the Mt Chalmers copper and gold project.
He says that the drilling at Artillery Road is the first of many greenfield exploration targets at Mt Chalmers to be explored.
“This has required a significant amount of work including data capture, analysis, ranking, field investigations, drill planning and, finally, access agreements,” he added.
“With 34 anomalies to review, we are excited by the potential to make further discoveries,” he added.
Inversion modelling of the electromagnetic data by Italy’s Emergo consultancy has provided a data processing technique which will generate additional targets to be followed up.
Also at Artillery Road, QMines is continuing ground reconnaissance mapping in order to rank the 34 electromagnetic anomalies.
Pre-feasibility study one of the next steps
Meanwhile, on the current work program are plans to complete drilling of the southwest extension at the Mt Chalmers deposit.
The company is also working to deliver the results of a recent carbon audit to meet the requirements of the Climate Active program, so that QMines can retain its Zero Carbon certification.
The other task on the schedule is to complete the planned pre-feasibility study on the Mt Chalmers project and assessing the potential for a stand-alone mining operation.