Middle Island Resources has been buoyed by visual analysis of a completed maiden drill program at its Crosswinds copper prospect in the NT where the company is targeting iron oxide-copper-gold alteration.
The company says iron oxide-copper-gold, or “IOCG” hematite alteration, including carbonate, potassic feldspar, sericite and biotite alteration, has been visually observed in all four completed holes.
The maiden campaign was a vital step for the company as it seeks to define an IOCG deposit at the Barkly project. It is hoped that once magnetics and ground gravity work are assessed further potential targets will be identified.
With only four holes completed on the site so far, Middle Island still has more than 5000 square kilometres of tenements to explore with the initial drill results identifying a range of geological features to further define the next phase of exploration.
The explorer says wide zones of observed alteration and veining associated with intrusives have been intersected within the targeted areas.
Hydrothermal alteration, including quartz-sericite-epidote-chlorite, within widespread zones of quartz veining have also been identified.
Middle Island says the alteration zones have the potential to show that copper, gold, uranium and rare earth elements mineralisation consistent with the IOCG model may be present.
The 3025m of drilling is being logged and processed at the company’s nearby Tennant Creek operational base with laboratory assay results expected in coming months.
Middle Island Resources Executive Director, Brad Marwood said: “The geological inspection of the core from surface provides invaluable insights to the IOCG system potential at Crosswinds. The core demonstrates that multiple sequences of deformations occurred providing fracturing for deportment of mineralisation.”
IOCG deposits are highly sought-after mineral systems due to their potentially high metal content.
Australia has two major IOCG provinces of global significance, namely the Olympic IOCG province along the eastern margin of the Gawler Craton in South Australia and the Cloncurry district in the eastern Mount Isa Inlier of north-west Queensland.
Geoscience Australia says the historic Tennant Creek mining district is best known for its ancient and high-grade gold deposits, having produced 5.5 million ounces of gold, 488,000 tonnes of copper and 5000 tonnes of bismuth at an average grade of 19.3 grams per tonne gold and 2.9 per cent copper.
The Crosswinds copper prospect is located just five kilometres south of Emmerson Resource’s Hermitage project.
In January an induced polarisation geophysical survey at the site identified deep-seated targets below previously defined surface copper mineralisation.
Ground IP geophysical surveying delineated a chargeable target starting at approximately 500m depth that Middle Island says is an exciting prospect for massive and disseminated sulphides.
Geophysical surveying followed up on a 130m surficial copper discovery grading 0.75 per cent copper defined in a table drain cutting that runs parallel to the Barkly Highway.
Surface mineralisation consisted of malachite or copper carbonate and is interpreted to reflect secondary migration of copper along growth faults that extend from the primary mineralisation below.
So far Middle Island has only just scratched the surface of what it calls the Barkly super project and the market will be interested to see what it can unearth in the next phase of exploration.
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By Matt Birney
