Cornish Metals today said it had identified at least five new zones of copper and / or tin mineralisation, including 4.04 metres grading of 4.44% copper and 2.06% tin, at the United Downs project in Cornwall.
The results are from the second set of assays for start-up miner Cornish Lithium’s core diamond drill programme earlier in 2020 at the site located 8km east of South Crofty.
Cornish Metals said that multiple zones of copper and / or tin mineralisation were intersected over at least 750 metres vertical extent.
Cornish Lithium had drilled two deep diamond drill holes (GWDD-001 and GWDD-002) to test for lithium in brine potential on Cornish Metals’ mineral rights area at United Downs, but new zones of copper / tin mineralisation have been found highlighting the potential for new discoveries in the region.
| Hole ID | From (m) | To (m) | Length (m) | Copper (% Cu) | Tin (% Sn) |
| GWDD-001 | 621.90 | 628,81 | 6.91 | 0.81 | |
| Inc. | 625.00 | 627.75 | 2.75 | 1.08 | |
| GWDD-002 | 90.60 | 105.29 | 14.69 | 8.45 | 1.19* |
| GWDD-002 | 513.33 | 515.78 | 2.45 | 0.90 | |
| Inc. | 513.33 | 513.65 | 0.32 | 3.57 | |
| GWDD-002 | 636.11 | 637.71 | 1.60 | 0.98 | |
| GWDD-002 | 638.85 | 642.89 | 4.04 | 4.44 | 2.06 |
| GWDD-002 | 770.06 | 773.00 | 2.94 | 0.95 | |
| Inc. | 771.06 | 771.96 | 0.90 | 3.05 | |
| And | 781.02 | 782.90 | 1.88 | 0.90 | |
| Inc. | 781.02 | 782.00 | 0.98 | 1.39 |
The holes were collared approximately 200m apart and were drilled towards the south between the historic United Mines (to the south) and Great Consolidated Mine (to the north).
In April 2020, Cornish Metals reported high-grade copper / tin mineralisation in drill hole GWDD-002 (14.69 m grading 8.45% copper and 1.19% tin between 90.6m and 105.29m downhole depth) from a zone referred to as Lithium Lode.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the company was unable to log and sample GWDD-001 and the remainder of GWDD-002 until recently.
Today’s assay results follow news from the recent exploration drilling at South Crofty, which demonstrated high-grade tin mineralisation at depth including 2.6 m at 10.33% tin. bit.ly/3lKVX9D
United and Great Consolidated operated from 1757 to 1872 principally high-grade underground copper mines (grades reported to be in the order of 7% copper)
In the early 1980s, Carnon Consolidated, then a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, developed the Wheal Maid exploration decline as part of their exploration programme encompassing the former United and Great Consolidated Mines.
Despite the discovery and initial development of the Tregarlands and Whiteworks lodes, the tin price crash of 1985 halted all exploration.