Cooper Metals (ASX:CPM) prepares for drilling at Ardmore North and Attina following heritage clearance

Cooper Metals has completed site works and cultural heritage clearances at the Ardmore North and Attina prospects within its Mt Isa East Project in north west Queensland, with drilling set to commence imminently.

The company plans to begin drilling at Ardmore North for approximately 1,250m before moving south to Attina for approximately a further 750m.

Highlights

• Ardmore North and Attina are now cleared and drilling is set to commence imminently.
• Drilling will start at Ardmore North for approximately 1,250m and then move south to Attina for approximately a further 750m.
• Ardmore North is a coherent surface Cu Au anomaly over 1.5km in strike with elevated rock chips of up to 4.49g/t Au and 14.45% Cu.
• Attina is a coherent Cu and Au anomaly in surface sampling with coincident elevated Cu and Au rock chips of up to 52.8g/t Au and 12.35% Cu.
• Attina is located 5.5km north east of Carnaby Resources’ Mt Hope Project.

The planned drilling programme covers two prospects within EPM 19125 at the Mt Isa East Project, with Ardmore North located in the southern portion of the project area, immediately north of Carnaby Resources’ Mount Hope, Lady Fanny and Nil Desperandum Projects and directly south of Austral Resources’ recent drilling success at Snow Queen.

The prospect sits along the Mt Hope corridor, which extends from Mt Colin through Wee Macgregor, Ardmore North, Mount Hope and Lady Fanny, and lies near the Fountain Range Fault, a major north east trending structure that is prominent in the regional geology and geophysics.

Ardmore North was initially identified in 2023 as part of a regional rock chip and soil sampling programme completed by Cooper geologists.

The area of interest is defined by elevated gold and copper in rock chips that are coincident with a north east orientated copper anomaly in pXRF soil data.

The company reported that some of the best rock chip results include 4.49g/t Au and 7.47% Cu, 4.46g/t Au and 7.88% Cu, together with peak copper rock chips of 14.45% Cu and 13.5% Cu.

The anomalous zone is approximately 1.5km long and 150m wide, with multiple small pits and workings along the trend.

Earthworks have started at Ardmore North, with the access tracks cleared and the first pads constructed ahead of mobilisation of the Bullion Drilling RC rig.

The company stated that clearing of the drill pads exposed the anomalous stratigraphy and enabled improved mapping of the local geology.

Cooper reported the visual identification of multiple parallel quartz vein systems carrying hematite, magnetite and malachite, together with a separate massive ironstone with malachite.

The company noted that these observations are preliminary visual field estimates only and remain subject to confirmation by further work, the upcoming drill programme and assay results.

To follow up these observations, Cooper has completed a 96m continuous surface channel sample across the strike of the anomalous zone along the first section line, with the sample comprising sub crop and transported material that has been submitted for laboratory analysis, and the company stating that the results will complement the planned RC drilling programme.

At Attina, Cooper has successfully completed a cultural heritage survey over the proposed drill tracks and pads ahead of a planned programme of approximately 750m of RC drilling.

The prospect comprises gossanous quartz veins in varying widths which have been traced for up to 700m, with coincident gold and copper identified in soil and rock chip sampling.

Twenty three rock chip samples collected at Attina have returned highly anomalous copper and gold values, with sample MER386, a gossanous quartz float, returning 52.8g/t Au and 12.35% Cu, which the company stated is the highest gold grade recorded across more than 500 rock chip samples collected at the Mt Isa East Project.

Other reported results include 10.95g/t Au and 8.85% Cu, together with copper values of 36.20%, 22.00%, 21.40% and 15.30% Cu.

Cooper Metals Executive Director Tim Armstrong said the company was preparing to commence drilling at both prospects.

“With the field season well underway we’re excited for the drill rig to arrive and to test both Ardmore North and Attina prospects (Figure 1). Heritage clearance is complete and earthworks are well advanced ahead of drilling. Ardmore North and Attina are both top of our list as priority drill targets. The Company is excited by recent activity in the region and the interest in copper more broadly.”

Cooper Metals stated that drilling is set to commence imminently, beginning at Ardmore North before progressing to Attina.

The company also reported that track and drill pad construction at Attina is set to begin within the next two weeks, while assay results from the 96m surface channel sample collected at Ardmore North are pending.

The company stated that it plans to mobilise the drill rig and commence maiden drill programmes at both Ardmore North and Attina and will keep the market updated as drilling progresses.

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