West Cobar Metals drills up potential large copper system at Bulla Park

West Cobar Metals (ASX: WC1) has continued its recent exploration success with promising new drilling results from its Bulla Park copper project in central New South Wales.

In recent months, West Cobar has achieved a number of promising results at its Salazar rare earths project in southern Western Australia and the Nevada lithium opportunity in the US.

Now it has identified base, precious and critical minerals potential at its original stamping grounds near “copper” town Cobar.

A single diamond drilling (DD) hole from a program commenced in mid-October has confirmed a major mineralised system, currently covering an area of about 3km by 2km.

The single 363m deep hole hit consistent thick intersections of disseminated and stringer copper, antimony and silver mineralisation.

“These results confirm there is a large and unusual mineralised system at Bulla Park, as evidenced by the thick copper, antimony and silver intercept,” managing director Matt Szwedzicki said.

“We will evaluate the potential next steps here, bearing in mind that our main focus currently is the Salazar rare earth element and co-product project, where we are making excellent progress.”

Chasing Cobar-style mineralisation

The single DD hole completed in the recent program was designed to test the potential for a pipe or steeply-dipping lenses of the Cobar style encountered at the nearby Endeavour lead-zinc-silver deposit.

West Cobar is now planning to run a detailed logging program in the hole but initial suggestions are that the main control of the mineralisation intersected is stratigraphic.

Mr Szwedzicki believes thick siderite-barite veining is strongly suggestive of fracturing and an associated fault control.

There is also evidence for an east-west fault or fracture zone based on the distribution of the veining and alteration that is focusing the copper mineralisation.

Major system

West Cobar’s confidence that Bulla Park may contain a major mineralised system with the potential for a bulk mineable copper-antimony-silver deposit has been boosted by the thickness of copper mineralisation encountered to date and the continuity of the copper grade over wide intervals.

The company also believes there is potential for mineralisation to extend for over 2km along an east-west fault zone and, following the completion of a structural analysis of the drill core, it will look to identify further drill targets to test that theory.

A revised model created prior to the recent drilling program suggested that the widespread copper mineralisation identified at Bulla Park to date is reflecting a “halo” around a higher-grade copper mineralised pipe or stockwork system similar in style to other deposits in the Cobar basin.

Value-add potential

The identification of antimony in the hole may provide some value-add in the future.

Considered to be a critical tech metal, it is growing in value due to its use in the electronics industry to make some semiconductor devices such as infrared detectors and diodes.

It is also alloyed with lead or other metals to improve their hardness and strength.

Bulla Park is located approximately 110km west of Cobar and consists of four granted exploration licenses.

It is part of the company’s Cobar West project, which also includes the Nantilla copper/base metal/gold prospect.