Todd River Resources Limited (ASX: TRT) has commenced Reverse Circulation (RC) and aircore drilling to test existing and new targets at its 100%-owned Mt Hardy Copper-Zinc Project in the Northern Territory.
The company expects the drilling programme will take approximately 4-5 weeks to complete with 60% of the drilling anticipated to be targeted RC on existing and new prospects and the remainder to be reconnaissance aircore over areas that are under cover in the north of the project area.
It’s great to have the rig on site at last at Mt Hardy after several years of hiatus. We’re excited to get back on the ground with a refreshed approach and are keen to test the new targets we have identified through both extensive systematic soil sampling and targeted rock chip sampling,” Managing Director Will Dix said.
“Our belief remains that there are multiple zones of mineralisation to be identified both in close proximity to the existing resource at Hendrix and also in new areas, and we look forward to building an extensive mineral inventory at Mt Hardy.
“The drilling programme will initially focus on several existing prospects where sampling of multiple prospective horizons have returned significant results from the Stardust-AB-Jack trend, and the Lehmann trend.
“Following initial work completed earlier this year, rock chip sampling results defined broad surface geochemical base metal anomalies from the approximately 5,000 XRF soil samples taken on a grid pattern over amenable terrane. None of the new areas have been drilled at this point and all reflect new opportunities at Mt Hardy.”
The Stardust-AB-Jack (SABJ) Trend covers a north west – south east strike extent of approximately 2.8km and is located 1.5km to the north west of the previously published Hendrix Resource. The SABJ high grade results include 37.9% Cu, 17.8% Cu, and 16.8% Cu from gossanous zones up to 5m wide at surface. The dominantly malachite mineralisation is hosted in numerous sub-parallel brecciated quartz veins. In parts, significant Zn-Pb oxide mineralisation is associated with the quartz veins.
The Lehman Trend covers an extensive area to the north east of Hendrix that also trends NW-SE similarly to the SABJ Trend. The surface expression of the mineralisation at Lehmann is located at the base of a large hill and is obscured by scree. Results from the Lehmann Trend include 55.3% Pb+928 ppm Ag, 5.5% Cu+16.4% Pb+21% Zn, and 25.5% Cu+15.2% Zn. The massive Cu-Pb-Zn oxide mineralisation is hosted in a milled quartz breccia, which is a footwall to an extensive silicified fault that can be traced for well over a kilometre.
In addition to the prospectivity identified by recent rock chip sampling, previously announced areas of shallow base metal anomalism that were identified from bottom-of-hole sampling of historic drilling remain untested and are in areas of transported cover in the north of the project area.
It is expected that analytical results will be available during October and any significant sulphide intersections will be scanned using a handheld XRF instrument for initial indications of mineralisation.