Giant copper and titanium mineral system confirmed at Empire Metals' Pitfield Project

Highlights

• Confirmed the presence of a giant (~40 km by 8 km) metal-rich mineral system, hosted by sedimentary rocks displaying extensive evidence of intense alteration by hydrothermal fluids. These fluids are thought to be responsible for the significant enrichment of both copper (Cu) and titanium (Ti) in these sedimentary host rocks.
• Drilling has identified a new high-grade, titanium discovery with consistently high titanium grades returned in thick intersections over a wide area identified throughout the mineral system.
• Titanium rich mineralisation (between 4% and 10% TiO2) was identified in all but one of 21 holes drilled, starting at or very near surface and with nearly a quarter of the holes still ending in high TiO2 values of up to 154 m depth.
• Highly anomalous copper values (+100 ppm) were reported for 60% of the drill sample intervals, averaging 131 ppm Cu and peaking at 605 ppm Cu; over 25 times higher than the background copper-in-soil, indicating that this giant mineral system contains significant amounts of copper and potential for multiple copper deposits in other parts of the system.
• Chalcopyrite, a copper-iron sulphide mineral, has been identified petrographically as well as in RC chip logging within samples that returned elevated Cu assay values.
• Only 2% of this highly prospective, giant mineral system has been drilled to date demonstrating enormous potential for additional discoveries through future drilling currently being planned.
• It is evident from the results that this giant mineral system is regionally zoned for a variety of valuable metals and that our maiden drill programme has discovered a particularly titanium-rich zone but has also provided critically important information as to where other metals, such as copper, have been concentrated.

Shaun Bunn, Managing Director, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the results of our maiden drilling campaign. Our research over the past year pointed to the presence of a newly recognised giant copper mineral system at Pitfield, in itself no minor feat, however the results announced today add a whole new dimension to this globally important asset – the discovery of titanium rich minerals in my view tells us we have a ‘Land of Giants’ to explore. The scale, strength and consistency of the mineralised system cannot be overemphasised given that the drill holes were spaced several hundreds of metres to tens of kilometres apart, and that 53% of all samples collected contain an average 5.12% TiO2, and 60% were anomalous in copper. Clearly more work is required, not least because 98% of the mineralised system is still to be drilled and evidently we tagged an enormous, titanium rich part of the system. Based on the scale of this find, Pitfield has the potential to be one of the largest primary titanium sources discovered globally. Additional analysis is underway as we work to understand the magnitude and potential commercial value of this titanium mineral discovery within such a unique geological setting. However, it is also evident that this giant mineral system contains significant copper and these first-round results have also indicated to us where the more copper rich parts of this regionally zoned system may be.”

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/15062023/giant-copper-and-titanium-mineral-system-confirmed-at-pitfield-project-australia/