Empire Resources Limited (ASX: ERL) has confirmed the potential of the recently discovered >3.5km long copper/gold horizon at the company’s Yuinmery Copper-Gold Project in WA with further positive drill results.
Reverse circulation (RC) drilling on the new horizon has intersected strong copper-gold mineralisation, with results including 28m @ 0.60% Cu & 0.20g/t Au from 32m including 8m @ 1.09% Cu & 0.37g/t Au from 44m and 24m @ 0.54% Cu & 0.08g/t Au from 56m including 4m @ 0.89% Cu & 0.12g/t Au from 56m at prospect YT01.
Managing Director, Sean Richardson, said that Empire completed an 11 hole RC drill programme in January for 1,014m at Yuinmery. The programme tested five prospects, following up encouraging copper-gold anomalism identified from recent aircore drilling.
The drilling also tested the northern extension of the Smiths Well prospect where historic copper, nickel and gold mineralisation has been identified.
Mr Richardson said the >3.5km target horizon recently identified by the company is notable for its lack of modern exploration activity. The results from the RC drilling confirm continuity of mineralisation first identified in late 2019 by Empire from aircore drilling and demonstrates the potential for discovery of multiple copper-gold deposits within this horizon.
Drilling at Smiths Well returned a broad down hole intercept in sulphide mineralisation of 68m @ 0.37% Cu & 0.13% Ni from 50m, including 1m @ 1.26% Cu from 60m; 1m @ 1.03% Cu & 0.23% Ni from 67m; and, 2m @ 1.22% Cu from 91m.
Mr Richardson said Smiths Well demonstrates the potential for additional sulphide copper-nickel discoveries to be made within the Yuinmery Project.
The RC drilling at Yuinmery has returned excellent results,” Mr Richardson said.
“The recently identified 3.5km copper-gold horizon between YT01 and YT19 prospects continues to return strong copper-gold mineralisation, strengthening the potential for new discoveries in this area of the project.
“The company also continues to uncover value in known prospects, paving the way forward for a multi-deposit copper-gold project.
“The company’s systematic approach to assessing exploration targets continues to return positive results.”
Mr Richardson said the January RC drilling programme continues Empire’s staged approach to identifying and testing copper-gold anomalism analogous to the current Just Desserts JORC 2012 Resource of 2.52Mt @ 1.31% Cu, 0.49g/t Au & 1.76g/t Ag.