Ventnor Resources intercepts 2.61% copper, best intersections at Thaduna

Ventnor Resources (ASX: VRX) continues to impress from the third drilling campaign at the strategically located Thaduna and Green Dragon project, and has today delivered the market the best copper intersections to date.

Phase three reverse circulation highlights from the Thaduna prospect include:

- 37 metres at 2.61% copper from 111 metres, including 10 metres at 7.53% copper; and
- 62 metres at 2.19% copper from 125 metres, including 32 metres at 3.10% copper.

The outcome from the latest discoveries is that they support a conceptual target of deeper primary mineralisation.

Bruce Maluish, managing director, commented on the outstanding drilling intersections, and said:

“The last phase of reverse circulation and diamond drilling has discovered the primary mineralisation at Thaduna. Deeper holes have increased our understanding of the geology and dimensions of the deposit.

“These results also contribute significantly to the grade and extent of the mineralisation and increase the potential contained copper inventory.”


More results pending

The phase three drilling program comprised an extensive 134 reverse circulation holes for almost 18,000 metres, and importantly for investors, a large amount of the results are still pending - along with two diamond tails.


Exploration continues with phase four

Highlighting just how quickly exploration at the project is progressing, Ventnor already has the phase four program underway, with coring having commenced.

This program will focus on deeper diamond core drilling down dip and along strike at both prospects, along with some reverse circulation infill drilling, covering a total of around 9,000 metres.

Maluish added, “The new program is extending many of the previously drilled reverse circulation holes into the primary mineralisation and will investigate the potential for deeper mineralisation.”


Thaduna geology

A review of the geology underneath the Thaduna pit identified by Ventnor include intersections of broad zones of primary mineralisation made at various positions.

Importantly - these holes, as well as the recently received assays, have allowed for the development of a conceptual target for the deeper primary mineralisation that is becoming evident.

The mineralisation is hosted in a varying sedimentary stratigraphy of silts, shales, fine grained sandstones and greywacke. Key units within a lower grade sequence host high grade mineralisation which may also act as marker beds to the stratigraphy.

The surface oxide expression of the mineralisation, largely mined in the historic pit, transitions through the supergene secondary sulphide chalcocite to the primary sulphide chalcopyrite.

The near surface expression of the mineralisation is not directly above the underlying primary mineralisation, which Ventnor said may be due to remobilisation during weathering and subsequent intermittent supergene deposition.


Strategically located

To say Thaduna and Green Dragon is strategically located is almost an understatement, with the area rapidly turning into one of the biggest, if not the best, emerging copper districts in Australia.

Highlighting the prospectivity, Sandfire Resources' (ASX: SFR) massive De Grussa project is just 40 kilometres away, with a group of explorers in the region discovering high grade copper during 2011.

Analysis

Clearly, these results plus previous results show that Ventnor has something special at Thaduna and Green Dragon which further drilling will unfurl over time.

Originally published at: http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/24450/ventnor-resources-intercepts-261-copper-best-intersections-at-thaduna-24450.html