Encounter Resources Ltd (ASX:ENR) has identified a suite of compelling drill targets at the Carrara and Jessica projects in the Nothern Territory. These projects are being explored in partnership with South32 under Farm-in Agreements.
“Jessica and Carrara present as unique exploration opportunities,” said Managing Director, Will Robinson
“The South Nicholson Seismic Survey, acquired as part of the Geoscience Australia Exploring for the Future Program, has provided an incomparable dataset for mineral explorers in this part of the NT.
“We have utilised this widespread seismic coverage, together with a detailed gravity survey facilitated by the NT Geological Survey in 2022, to generate drill targets for testing in 2023.
The reprocessing of the seismic lines at Jessica and Carrara by HiSeis, experts in hard rock geological imaging, was the first activity completed in the partnership with South32 and the results have been revealing.
“Applied extensively by the oil and gas industry, seismic modelling techniques have resulted in astounding exploration success. The application of seismic to hard rock minerals exploration has the potential to make step changes in success rates for copper and zinc discoveries in sedimentary basins.
“We are delighted that South32 is planning to commence with diamond drilling at Jessica and Carrara in the 2023 field season.”
EL32273, EL32317, EL32338, EL32339, EL32386, EL32387, EL32388 and EL32493 Jessica covers ~6,300 sq. km along key structural corridors east of Tennant Creek and is prospective for sediment-hosted copper and IOCG style deposits. Access to the project is via the sealed Tablelands Highway that traverses the western side of Jessica.
Jessica captures compelling structural targets along the Brunette Downs Rift Corridor identified by Geoscience Australia in the Exploring for the Future program. Jessica was targeted along the northern flanks of the East Tennant gravity ridge and the intersection with a major NNW structural corridor. Jessica has potential for both basement IOCG style mineralisation and sediment- hosted copper deposits.
Systematic assessment of drill chips from water bores at Jessica has been conducted by Encounter and a previous explorer utilising handheld XRF machines. Areas of copper anomalism were selected for chemical analysis and for the sample interval 0-3m in RN28419.
In partnership with South32, reprocessing of Geoscience Australia seismic data that extends through Jessica has been completed by HiSeis, in order to provide greater detail of the geology and structure in the upper 1,000m.
A two km spaced gravity survey was also completed at the project in 2022 by the NT Geological Survey. In addition, one km spaced gravity infill data was collected to cover a series of high priority magnetic targets. A significant and discrete gravity feature was identified coincident with a prominent magnetic feature on the margin of a large interpreted intrusive body. This target has been named the Zeta IOCG target (Zeta).
In addition, seismic reprocessing has highlighted a discrete seismic reflector at depth immediately underlying Zeta. Seismic reprocessing has also highlighted a zone of washed out seismic character at depth beneath Zeta, interpreted to represent a potential deep rooted alteration zone associated with a crustal scale structure. This confluence of geophysical anomalism (gravity, magnetics and seismic) together with the structural context, located on a fundamental NNW structure, makes Zeta a priority target.
Carrara Copper-Zinc Project EL32476, EL32477, EL32701 and EL32813
Carrara was secured following the release of the South Nicholson Seismic Survey, a foundational dataset acquired as part of the Geoscience Australia Exploring for the Future Program. A key finding of this survey is the correlation of prospective stratigraphic units from the Isa Superbasin into the Carrara Sub-basin that extend the Mount Isa Province to the west.
Carrara is located at an interpreted structural offset of the western margin of the Carrara Sub-basin where the prospective Isa Superbasin units are modelled closer to surface.
The giant Century Zinc Mine is located on the eastern margin of the Carrara Sub-basin, and there is a clear correlation of the Century mine stratigraphy across the basin in the Geoscience Australia seismic data.
In 2020 a 1,751m deep stratigraphic drill hole (NDI Carrara-1) was completed as part of the National Drilling Initiative funded by the Minex CRC. This hole was designed to validate the interpretation of the South Nicholson Seismic Survey and was located within the Carrara project.
The results of the NDI Carrara-1 stratigraphic drill hole support the interpretation that the geology of the Isa Superbasin extends throughout the Carrara Sub-basin. The presence of copper and zinc sulphide mineralisation demonstrates that sediment-hosted copper and zinc mineralising processes occur within the prospective host unit.
A two km spaced gravity survey over Carrara by the Northern Territory Geological Survey was completed in 2022. In partnership with South32, reprocessing of seismic lines that extend through Carrara has provided far greater detail of the geology and structure in the upper 1,000m resulting in the definition of multiple targets at key structural locations along the western margin of the sub-basin. Targets will be refined and prioritised for diamond drill testing in 2023.
See www.encounterresources.com.au/ for more…