Stage 3 drilling by Tennant Minerals has doubled the strike length of the Bluebird copper-gold discovery within the Barkly project on the eastern edge of the richly-endowed Tennant Creek mineral field in the Northern Territory.
The 14-hole program for a total 3166m returned “exceptionally high-grade” results including a series of bonanza intersections with a best assay of 5 metres grading 38.6 grams per tonne gold and 6.1% copper from 142.7m including 2.25m at 64g/t gold and 9.57% copper.
Also reported was an “exceptional” hit of 17.95m at 11.08g/t gold and 2.66% copper from 131m downhole which included 15.9m at 12.45g/t gold and 2.91% copper from 131.8m, 5m at 38.6g/t gold, 6.11% copper from 1423.7m and 2.25m at 64g/t gold and 9.57% copper.
The bonanza results are up-dip and along the same section as a “spectacular” intersection of 30.5m at 6.8g/t gold and 6.2% copper including 17.8m at 11.5g/t gold, 5.2% copper and 16.1m at 0.44g/t gold and 10.5% copper which includes a massive copper-sulphide zone.
Intense copper
Tennant’s drilling intersected thick zones of intense copper mineralisation at shallower depths to the east of the defined zone.
The extension to the east corresponds with the upper part of an induced polarisation (IP) low-resistivity zone which is open in all directions.
It effectively doubles the strike length of Bluebird’s mineralisation to 500m and extends the zone to within 60m of surface.
Additional IP low-resistivity anomalies to the east and west of Bluebird are currently being modelled for drill targeting.
Further evidence
Tennant said the bonanza intersections provide further evidence of a high-grade copper-gold discovery at Barkly.
“Apart from the high copper and gold grades intersected, our drilling has also doubled the strike length of the Bluebird deposit and extended the mineralised zone to shallow depths, highlighting the potential for initial open-pit mining,” it said.
“We look forward to continued assays from the other thick zones of mineralisation intersected in the Stage 3 program, as well as modelling of the IP resistivity results which are demonstrating potential for multiple Bluebird look-a-likes within the Barkly project.”
