Catalina Resources (ASX:CTN) drilling confirms copper-rich VMS system at Breakaway Dam

Recent diamond drilling and downhole electromagnetic surveying at the Breakaway Dam Copper Project, located approximately 17 km east of Menzies in Western Australia, have provided technical confirmation that the mineralised system is consistent with a copper-rich Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide deposit.

The work, undertaken by Forrestania Resources and reported by Catalina Resources, establishes geological continuity, sulphide thickness and geophysical coherence across the central part of the prospect, strengthening the technical rationale for advancing the project, subject to completion of the proposed transaction.

Highlights

• Diamond drilling and downhole EM surveys confirm mineralisation consistent with a copper-rich VMS system

• All drill holes intersected sulphide-rich horizons with strong DHEM responses, supporting continuity

• Copper and zinc mineralisation defined over approximately 700 m of strike, including 9.2 m @ 0.48% Cu, 1.47 m @ 1.97% Cu and 4.2 m @ 0.32% Cu

• Multiple high-conductance EM plates remain untested and are priority drill targets

• A broader prospective stratigraphic corridor extends for approximately 16 km

• Fire assay gold analysis of available drill pulps is planned

Drilling comprised four diamond holes for approximately 1,106 m, designed to test previously modelled electromagnetic conductors and to confirm the geological setting of sulphide development.

All holes intersected semi-massive to disseminated sulphide horizons hosted within fine-grained metasedimentary units overlying porphyritic basalt, a stratigraphic association regarded as characteristic of VMS systems.

The dominant sulphide assemblage of pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite, together with laterally continuous horizons and associated footwall stringer mineralisation, supports interpretation of a copper-rich system that has subsequently been affected by deformation and metamorphism.

Significant copper and zinc intersections have been reported across the central corridor, with mineralised zones averaging approximately 10 m true width at low cut-off grades and higher-grade intervals approaching 2% Cu.

Mineralisation has now been confirmed over approximately 700 m of strike, while downhole EM modelling indicates that several drill holes likely intersected the margins of more conductive sulphide accumulations, implying that thicker or more continuous zones may be present nearby.

Structural interpretation suggests that sulphide concentration may be controlled by plunge-related deformation features, providing vectors for systematic follow-up drilling.

The broader geological context extends beyond the central zone, with a prospective stratigraphic trend of approximately 16 km identified across the project area, much of which remains untested by drilling.

This regional setting, combined with the presence of multiple high-conductance EM plates yet to be drill tested, underpins the scale potential identified in the current interpretation.

In addition to base metals, the geological setting is considered prospective for gold, both within the VMS system and in structurally related greenstone-hosted positions, with fire assay analysis of existing drill pulps planned to assess gold content.

Executive Director Ross Cotton noted the technical implications of the results, stating that

“the recent drilling results at Breakaway Dam provide important technical validation for the project, confirming a copper-rich VMS system with encouraging thickness and continuity, supported by strong geophysical responses”,

and that, subject to completion of the transaction, the data provide a solid platform to advance systematic exploration, assess broader scale potential and test for possible gold mineralisation within the system.

Looking ahead, Catalina has outlined a program that includes completion and reporting of gold assays, drill testing of untested high-conductance EM plates, systematic RC drilling to assess continuity beyond current intersections, and first-pass drilling along the regional stratigraphic trend.

Within the broader Australian base metals sector, the confirmation of a copper-rich VMS system in the Menzies district adds to the inventory of underexplored greenstone-hosted sulphide systems, with the current work establishing a technically robust foundation for further evaluation of scale and continuity under JORC-compliant exploration programs.

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