True North Copper is set to breathe new life into the historic Great Australia mine (GAM) in Queensland, launching a 15-hole, 2900m drill program to uncover untapped mineral potential.
While GAM has long been known for its copper resources, True North’s latest exploration strategy could redefine the mine’s future and position it as a major asset in Australia’s copper industry.
The company’s focus extends beyond the known deposits at Copperhead, which holds 4.66 million tonnes (Mt) at 0.88 per cent copper, Orphan Shear and its 1.03Mt at 0.56 per cent copper, and Paddock Lode South, which holds 5.11Mt at 0.57 per cent copper.
An induced polarisation (IP) survey has revealed promising targets at the Whip, Coppermine Creek, and Python deposits, which may hold substantial, previously overlooked mineralisation.
True North said these targets hold the potential for new large zones of mineralisation that could add significantly to the resource base at GAM.
Unlike past exploration efforts, True North believes it is uncovering a larger, interconnected mineral system that could transform the project’s scale.
“Through the induced polarisation geophysical survey at Great Australia mine, our exploration team has successfully defined several additional, highly prospective targets along strike, down dip, and between known resources within the extensive GAM mineral system,” True North Copper managing director Bevan Jones said.
“Since Ernest Henry discovered Great Australia in 1867, exploration in this area has been sporadic.
“However, we believe that GAM, Taipan, Orphan Shear, and these newly identified targets are part of a larger, interconnected mineralised system with the potential to aggregate into a significantly larger resource base than previously envisioned.”
True North’s drilling program, set to begin in late March, is designed to test these new targets over two weeks before the company shifts focus to its Mt Oxide project.
Located just 1.5 hours away, Mt Oxide is a copper-silver-cobalt deposit positioned near 29Metals’ Capricorn copper operation.
True North’s goal is to leverage cutting-edge exploration techniques to expand its copper inventory at both sites, ensuring a pipeline of new resources.
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