Antipa Minerals Ltd (ASX:AZY) has increased the prospectivity of its wholly-owned Minyari Dome Project in the Paterson Province of Western Australia, revealing multiple zones of new gold-copper mineralisation.
Antipa has been executing a four-part exploration campaign across the 144 square kilometre project, involving detailed drone magnetic surveying, gradient array induced polarisation (IP) surveying, 11,000 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling and surface geochemical profiling.
All four stages are now complete, with results still pending from the drilling and geochemical programs.
The exploration campaign, which was designed to define new greenfield targets for further drill testing in the new year, intersected shallow, high-grade gold-copper mineralisation at four targets, 250 metres southwest of the Minyari resource. Assays of note included:
- 9.0 metres at 10.8 g/t gold and 0.60% copper from 54 metres down hole, including 3.0 metres at 19.4 g/t gold and 1.4% copper from 55 metres;
- 10.0 metres at 3.0 g/t gold and 0.60% copper from 98 metres down hole, including 2.0 metres at 9.4 g/t gold and 1.8% copper from 99 metres; and
- 13.0 metres at 1.6 g/t gold and 0.10% copper from 31.0 metres down hole, including 4.0 metres at 3.2 g/t gold and 0.2% copper from 35 metres.
A single drill hole at the Sundown target, 400 metres west of the Minyari resource, also intersected notable gold with copper mineralisation above an induced polarisation target:
- 42.0 metres at 0.53 g/t gold and 0.2% copper from 125 metres down hole, including 14.0 metres at 1.3 g/t gold and 0.4% copper from 125 metres, also including 4.0 metres at 3.1 g/t gold and 1.0% copper from 135 metres.
Four more mineral systems with promising sulphides and associated alterations were intersected through RC drilling within 3 kilometres of the main Minyari resource, but assays are still pending.
“Resource growth potential”
“The increasing cache of greenfield discoveries within close proximity to the Minyari and WACA deposits demonstrates the significant exploration and resource growth potential within the company’s 100% Minyari Dome Project,” Antipa Minerals managing director Roger Mason said.
“The company’s recently completed 11,000-metre 2021 greenfield RC drill program tested 14 targets and has delivered four discoveries (assay results available) with significant sulphide mineralisation intersected at another four targets (assay results pending).
“The Minyari Dome area is showing signs of camp-style potential with multiple mineral systems developed around one or more causative intrusions.”
Drilling at the GP01 target 400 metres east of the WACA resource intersected mineral system-related sulphides and alteration along 150 metres of strike, which remains open in all directions. Assays are still pending.
Four more potentially commercial mineral systems with related sulphides and alteration (also awaiting assays) have been identified at Minyari North, GP26, GAIP07-09 and Judes. These systems also remain open in most directions and are all in proximity to the Minyari resource.
Antipa views the close spread of multiple near-surface exploration targets as a sign of camp-style potential, with multiple mineral systems that may be commercially exploitable.
Summary of priority greenfield targets
Antipa explored 14 priority targets with its exploration campaign. Drill targets with initial assays confirming gold-copper mineralisation are summarised:
1. Minyari South
- Located 200 metres southwest of Minyari.
- 150 x 100 metres drill defined gold-copper and coincident weak IP chargeability anomaly.
- Gold-copper mineralisation (eg 9 metres at 10.8 g/t gold and 0.6% copper, including 3 metres at 19.4 g/t gold and 1.4% copper) remains open in all directions and is interpreted to be moderate northwest dipping.
- High-grade gold-copper mineralisation is hosted above and below the hanging-wall contact between a pre-mineralisation diorite intrusive dyke and meta-sediments
2. GP01
- Located 800 metres southeast of Minyari and 400 metres east of WACA.
- 400 metres long Minyari-sized coincident magnetic-high, IP chargeability and conductivity anomaly.
- Gold-copper mineralisation (eg 27 metres at 1.3 g/t gold and 0.1% copper, including 7 metres at 3.9 g/t gold and 0.1% copper) is interpreted to be steep east dipping.
- Discovery follow-up drilling (12 RC holes) has extended the mineral system-related disseminated to semi-massive/breccia style sulphides and intense calc-silicate alteration along 150 metres of strike and remains open in most directions (follow-up assay results pending).
- Mineralisation hosted predominantly within metasediments and lesser diorite.
3. Sundown
- Located 400 metres west of Minyari.
- Shallow drill-based (120 metres strike) gold-copper and coincident (440 metres long) IP chargeability anomaly.
- Gold-copper mineralisation (eg 14.0 metres at 1.3 g/t gold and 0.4% copper) is open in most directions and is interpreted to be steep west dipping.
- Mineralisation intersected immediately above a 250 x 250 metre IP chargeability anomaly.
- Mineralisation is meta-sediment hosted adjacent to a steeply dipping northwest striking structure which is intruded by a pre-mineralisation dolerite.
- Comparisons to the relationship between the Minyari deposit’s mineralisation and IP chargeability anomaly supports the potential for the grade of the Sundown mineralisation to increase substantially with depth into and below the IP anomaly.
4. WACA East
- Located 780 metres south of Minyari, 170 metres east of WACA and 230 metres west of GP01.
- 200-metre-long IP chargeability anomaly.
- Gold-copper mineralisation (eg 36 metres at 0.50 g/t gold and 0.1% copper, including 9 metres at 1.0 g/t gold and 0.1% copper) remains open in most directions and is interpreted to be located on a steeply dipping structure and within meta-sediments.
Drill targets with assays pending but notable mineral systems related sulphides and hydrothermal alterations include:
5. Minyari North (GP17-18)
- Located 350 metres northwest along strike from Minyari.
- 300-metre-long coincident magnetic-high and IP chargeability anomaly with similarities to the Minyari deposit.
- Two RC drill holes 180 metres apart intersected mineral system-related disseminated and semi-massive/breccia style sulphides (pyrrhotite > pyrite > chalcopyrite) hosted by calc-silicate and chlorite altered metasediments and lesser diorite.
6. GP26
- Located 2.4 kilometres west-northwest of the Minyari deposit.
- 170-metre magnetic-high anomaly with weak IP chargeability response along interpreted fold-limb.
- Single RC drill hole intersected multiple 10 to 40 metre zones of mineral system-related disseminated, vein and semi-massive/breccia style sulphides (pyrite > pyrrhotite > chalcopyrite) hosted by intensely calc-silicate and chlorite altered meta-sediments.
7. Judes Northeast (GP21)
- Located 1.8 kilometres north of Minyari.
- 200-metre IP target proximal to the Judes copper-silver prospect and follow-up of 2020 aircore identified copper mineralisation (eg 26 to 27 metre bottom of hole 1.2% copper).
- Four RC drill holes intersected mineral system-related disseminated and breccia style sulphides (pyrite > chalcopyrite > pyrrhotite) up to 100 metres along strike from Judes hosted by strongly calc-silicate altered meta-sediments.
8. GAIP07-09 (Figure 1)
- Located 2.7 to 3.3 kilometres northwest of Minyari.
- 2020 aircore identified (250 to 500 metre) zones of intense intrusion-related hydrothermal calc-silicate and chlorite alteration and geochemical anomalism (eg 10 to 11 metres bottom of hole 0.61 g/t gold) across strong (2.5 x background) IP chargeability anomalies.
- Three RC drill holes across the GAIP07-09 target area intersected weak to limited moderate mineral system-related disseminated style sulphides (pyrrhotite > pyrite) in multiple zones hosted by calc-silicate +- chlorite altered meta-sediments.
2021 RC drill testing at the remaining six of the 14 greenfield targets (ie Fozzie, GP15, GP05, GP13, GP07 and GP19) did not intersect any visually obvious significant mineralisation (assay results pending).
About Antipa Minerals
Antipa Minerals is a mineral exploration company primarily focusing on the Paterson Province in northwest Western Australia, which is home to Newcrest Mining Ltd’s world-class Telfer gold-copper mine, and other large mineral deposits.
The company has consolidated most of the exploration tenure in eastern Paterson with the objective of making world-class discoveries and providing maximum leverage to shareholders.
Antipa also has a partnership with Rio Tinto for the Citadel Joint Venture, which is spread across 1,320 square kilometres and has a resource of 1.2 million ounces of gold and 139,000 tonnes of copper at the Calibre and Magnum deposits.
