7m zone of 60% massive chalcopyrite in 32.5m intensely-mineralised intersection which extends the Bluebird copper-gold discovery west towards new IP anomaly

 

-          The first new hole of the Stage 2 drilling program at the high-grade Bluebird copper-gold discovery, BBDD0018, has intersected a 7m zone containing 60% massive copper-sulphides (chalcopyrite and minor chalcocite) within a 32.5m intensely haematite-copper mineralised zone.

 

 

Photo 1: Massive chalcopyrite (copper-sulphide, CuFeS2) in drillcore from latest diamond hole BBDD0018

 

-          This 32.5m intensely haematite-copper mineralised intersection, including the massive copper-sulphide zone, extends the upper dilational zone west of previous thick and high-grade copper-gold intersections which include (see Figure 1):

63m @ 2.1% Cu, 4.6g/t Au from 153m (incl. 27.55m @ 3.6% Cu, 10.0g/t Au) in BBDD00121 40m @ 2.6% Cu, 1.34g/t Au from 131m (incl. 4.75m @ 15.2% Cu) in BBDD00132

 

-          Further drilling will now extend this zone towards the Induced Polarisation (IP) low resistivity / high-chargeability target identified 80m to the west of Bluebird.  A second drilling rig has been contracted to carry out this program and test other IP targets in the Bluebird Corridor.

 

-          The current hole (BBDD0019) is testing deeper extensions of the Bluebird discovery, where the deepest intersection to date of 17.8m @ 3.7% Cu, 0.34g/t Au from 277m (incl. 9.5m @ 6.0% Cu) in BBDD00152 indicates proximity to a second dilational (“thickened”) zone at depth (Figure 1).  

 

-          Discovery of a second high-grade thickened zone at depth and extensions to the west would offer potential to define a multi-million tonne resource at Bluebird, of similar dimensions to the nearby Peko deposit (past production 3.7Mt @ 4% Cu and 3.5g/t Au3).

 

Tennant Minerals Ltd (ASX:TMS) (Tennant or the Company) is very pleased to announce that the first new drillhole of the Stage 2 diamond drilling program at the Company’s high-grade Bluebird copper-gold discovery, BBDD0018, has intersected a 7m zone of predominantly massive copper-sulphides from 164m (60% chalcopyrite – CuFeS2 and minor chalcocite Cu2S, see Photo 1) within a 32.5m intersection of intense haematite and copper mineralisation from 151.6m (see Appendix 1, descriptions of mineralisation and longitudinal projection, Figure 1, below).

 

 

Figure 1: Bluebird longitudinal projection with high-grade copper-gold intersections to date and Stage 2 drilling

 

Bluebird is located within the Company’s 100% owned Barkly Project, at the eastern edge of the Tennant Creek (copper-gold) Mineral Field (TCMF), which produced over 5Moz of gold and over 500kt of copper from 1934 to 20053 (see location, Figure 2, below).

 

 

Figure 2: Location of the Barkly Project and major historical mines in the Tennant Creek Mineral Field

 

The Bluebird discovery is one of multiple targets identified within the Barkly Project along a 5km east-west trending gravity anomaly defined by Tennant, known as the “Bluebird Corridor”. 

 

This latest diamond drilling intersection on section 448,320mE has extended the thick high-grade dilational zone of mineralisation at Bluebird another 20m to the west of recent high-grade copper-gold intersections previously announced by the Company (see Figure 1), including:

 

-          63.0m @ 2.1% Cu and 4.6g/t Au from 153m (down hole) in BBDD00121 (448,360mE)

including 40.0m @ 3.0% Cu and 7.3g/t Au from 155.0m including 27.55m @ 3.6% Cu and 10.0g/t Au from 160.45m, and,

 

-          40m @ 2.6% Cu and 1.34g/t Au from 131m (down hole) in BDD00132 (448,340mE)

including 24.5m @ 3.9% Cu and 0.45g/t Au from 146.5m including 4.75m @ 15.2% Cu and 0.36g/t Au from 164m

 

Significantly, modelling of IP geophysics has identified a low-resistivity/high-chargeability target zone similar to the anomaly detected over the centre of the Bluebird discovery (see IP resistivity image, Figure 3), located a further 80m to the west. This IP anomaly represents potential for major extensions of the Bluebird copper-gold mineralisation at shallow depth. 

 

Further drilling will now test 40m to the west of the BBDD0018 massive sulphide intersection the IP anomaly immediately west of Bluebird (Figure 1) on section 448,240mE. 

 

A second, multi-purpose (RC/diamond) drilling rig has been contracted to carry out this drilling and also test other targets within the Bluebird - Perseverance Target Zone (see Figure 4) to the west of Bluebird.

 

Deeper diamond drillhole, BBDD0019, is in progress testing the centre of the identified Bluebird zone near the deepest significant intersection to date of 17.8m @ 3.7 % Cu, 0.34g/t Au from 277m (incl. 9.5m @ 6.0% Cu) in BBDD00152, which indicates proximity to a second dilational (thickened) zone target at depth (see target zone on Figure 1 and cross section 448,320mE, Figure 5).

 

Drilling to date has identified a steep westerly plunging zone of copper-gold mineralisation extending from 60m to more than 250m below surface (Figure 1) and 150m along strike in an east-west orientation.

 

Interpretation of the key drilling intersections, utilising structural data from logging of drill core, indicates that the thick and high-grade copper and gold intersections in BBDD00121 and BBDD00132 are associated with steeply-dipping structures that have intersected and “rolled-over” the axis of a shallow-plunging anticline, generating a thick dilational mineralised zone (see Figure 5). 

 

The current, Stage 2 drilling program builds on the successful Stage 1 diamond drilling program recently completed at Bluebird. Up to 10 holes for 3,000m are being drilled in Stage 2 with the aim of extending the Bluebird discovery to a depth of more than 400m and test for extensions/repeats of the high-grade copper-gold zone along strike to the west (Figure 1).  This will define the potential for a high-grade copper-gold mineral resource of similar scale to the Peko deposit, 20km to the west of Bluebird (Figure 2), which produced 3.7Mt @ 4% Cu and 3.5g/t Au from 1934 and 19813. 

 

Up to seven diamond holes in the Stage 2 program will be drilled to test the steeply plunging zone at Bluebird to more than 400m below surface, and to also test for a second dilational zone immediately below BBDD0013 (17.8m @ 3.7 % Cu and 0.34g/t Au)2 (see Figure 1).

 

An additional three drillholes are planned to follow up on the results of the IP geophysics program recently completed over the Bluebird mineralisation, to test the strong IP anomaly on 448,240mE, which represents an 80m step-out to the west of the BBDD0018 intersection described in this release (see Figure 1). 

 

The results of the IP program have shown a distinct low resistivity (high conductivity) and coincident chargeability response corresponding with the Bluebird mineralisation on the central section 448,360mE, (see IP resistivity image, Figure 3 below), thus confirming that Bluebird can be detected with IP.  This section includes the BBDD0012 intersection of 63m @ 2.1% Cu, 4.6g/t Au1.

 

 

Figure 3: IP resistivity image 448,360mE showing Bluebird mineralisation associated with resistivity low

 

MULTIPLE COPPER-GOLD TARGETS IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE BLUEBIRD CORRIDOR

 

The Bluebird discovery is associated with a gravity high, which is part of a 5km long gravity anomaly, defining the “Bluebird Corridor”.  This gravity anomaly reflects high-density, iron enrichment in the primary zone below the near surface leaching that extends to >80m depth at Bluebird (Figure 1). 

 

Interpretation of new detailed drone magnetics imagery and modelling (Figure 4), combined with the detailed gravity data, has identified 12 coincident magnetic-gravity copper-gold targets within a 2km “Bluebird-Perseverance Target Zone” extending west of the high-grade Bluebird copper-gold discovery2.  This major target zone includes an exceptionally strong magnetic-gravity feature centred below the historical Perseverance gold workings (see Figure 4).

 

Previous RC drilling under Perseverance produced shallow high-grade gold intersections such as 3m @ 50.0 g/t Au from 42m in PERC0155 and 3m @ 43.2 g/t Au from 72m in PERC0015. These high-grade gold intersections have not been followed up and the underlying ironstone copper-gold target is yet to be drill-tested.

 

The Company has completed an IP geophysical survey over Bluebird which successfully detected a low resistivity, high chargeability response over the Bluebird mineralisation (Figure 3), along with extensions to this “fingerprint” 80m to the west on section 448,240mE.

 

Further IP traverses completed over the 12 gravity-magnetic targets, identified within the 2km Bluebird-Perseverance Target Zone4 (see Figure 4), have produced low-resistivity/high-chargeability anomalies similar to Bluebird in at least three target areas. 

 

Modelling of the IP data is in progress and second drilling rig has been mobilised to carry out further drilling to test the priority copper-gold targets identified from the magnetics and gravity modelling as well as the IP survey, within the Bluebird-Perseverance Target Zone (Figure 4, below).

 

 

Figure 4: Bluebird-Perseverance magnetic intensity (reversed) image, with structures & magnetic-gravity targets

 

Appendix 1 includes descriptions of the mineralisation intersected by BBDD0018.

 

Appendix 2 includes JORC Table 1, Sections 1 and 2.

 

 

Figure 5: Cross-section 448,320mE with new intensely mineralised intersection in BBDD0018 and target at depth

 

REFERENCES

 

1 17/08/2022. Tennant Minerals (ASX. TMS): “Bonanza 63m@ 2.1% Copper and 4.6 g/t Gold Intersection at Bluebird”.

2 07/09/2022. Tennant Minerals (ASX. TMS): “Up to 54.5% Cu in Massive Sulphides at Bluebird”.

3 Portergeo.com.au/database/mineinfo. Tennant Creek - Gecko, Warrego, White Devil, Nobles Nob, Juno, Peko, Argo.

4 25/08/2022. Tennant Minerals (ASX. TMS): “Standout Geophysical Targets to Replicate Bluebird Cu-Au Discovery”.

5 25/02/1995, Posgold. Final Report for Exploration Licence 7693, 2/6/92 to 25/11/94. NTGS Report CR19950192.

 

***ENDS***

 

For enquiries please contact:

 

Matthew Driscoll

Non-Executive Chairman

M: +61 417 041 725

 

Stuart Usher

Company Secretary

M: +61 499 900 044