Tertiary Minerals plc said analysis of historic drill core showed copper mineralisation on the edge of an untested gravity anomaly at the Mushima North project in Zambia.
DRILL CORE ANALYSIS
The licence is one of five owned by local partner Mwashia Resources Ltd, as well as Konkola West, Lubuila, Mukai and Jacks.
Assay results from hole RKN800, drilled in 1975 but not analysed, at Mushima North show intersections at 33m grading 0.24% copper from 122m-155m downhole, including 9m grading 0.43% copper from 140m-149m, and 1m grading 1.14% copper from 147-148m.
The hole ended in mineralisation grading 0.19% copper from 154-155m (EOH).
GRAVITY ANOMALY
RKN800 lies on the edge of a large untested gravity anomaly, which was defined, targeted but never drilled by BHP in the late 2000s for iron oxide-copper-gold mineralisation.
Tertiary said that drilling had intersected mineralisation highly anomalous in arsenic, averaging 770ppm over the above 33m interval, with one 1m sample greater than the upper detection limit of 1% arsenic.
The company noted that arsenic is a gold pathfinder element.
The drill core samples will be sent for analysis for gold by fire assay.
REVIEW
“These are exciting results, given the geological setting, the wide interval of mineralisation and given that the hole ended in mineralisation,” added executive chairman Patrick Cheetham.
“RKN800 is one of just two holes known to have been drilled on the 700 sq km Mushima North licence area, the other hole being some 11km distant.
“Whilst it was not known at the time of drilling in the 1970s, RKN800 sits on the edge
of, and may be related to, a large gravity anomaly identified by BHP.”
Tertiary will review details of the BHP target and other targets before releasing its findings and information of follow-up exploration.