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QMines makes high-grade discovery southwest of Mt Chalmers copper-gold project

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By Imelda Cotton - 
QMines ASX QML Mt Chalmers Southwest RC drilling copper gold Rockhampton Queensland
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Recent drilling by QMines (ASX: QML) at the Mt Chalmers copper-gold project in Queensland has intersected high-grade base metal mineralisation at the main West Lode and enabled the discovery of a new deposit named Mt Chalmers Southwest.

Encouraging visual estimates of base metal sulphides have been confirmed by laboratory results, with an initial eight drill holes for 1096 metres intersecting the new volcanic hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) mineralised body.

Six of the holes targeted the sparsely-drilled southwest side of the lode.

Best intersections

Drilling delivered several intersections with grades up to 9.69% copper equivalent (CuEq) one of the holes and individual grades up to 4.06 grams per tonne gold, 171g/t silver, 1.11% copper, 3.57% lead and 6.76% zinc over 1 metre intervals.

Best intersections were 12m at 4.38% CuEq from 49m including 2m at 9.69% from 52m; 4m at 3.34% CuEq from 46m; 3m at 3.46% CuEq from 27m; 6m at 1.66% CuEq from 54m including 1m at 7.11% CuEq from 59m; and 24m at 0.84% CuEq from 103m including 1m at 5.77% CuEq from 59m.

Discovery location

The Mt Chalmers Southwest discovery is located outside of the previous mining area and partly outside of the existing inferred resource.

The mineralisation is believed to be a faulted part of the Mt Chalmers West Lode and ongoing drilling will aim to determine its dimensions and geometry.

Previous structural studies of the Mt Chalmers deposit have identified complex faulting at the intersection of the southern and western faults, which have acted as “conduits” for upwelling mineralisation with the western fault associated with better mineralisation on its eastern side.

Further exploration

Managing director Andrew Sparke said the new discovery would be subject to further exploration.

“We are very pleased to have located what appears to be a faulted extension of the West Lode,” he said.

“Further drilling is in progress which aims to define a new resource which will be added to the existing resource at Mt Chalmers in due course.”

The Mt Chalmers project has a measured, indicated and inferred resource of 11.86 million tonnes grading 1.22% CuEq for 144,700 tonnes CuEq.