Venus Metals Corporation Limited was granted tenement E45-6437 (Copper Hills) in the highly prospective Paterson Orogen, home to the world-class Telfer Au—Cu mine.
The Copper Hills Project E45/6437 (221.4 km2) is in the southern section of the Palaeo- to Neo-Proterozoic Paterson Orogen in Western Australia. The area covers Palaeo-proterozoic metasediments of the Tabletop Terrane within the Rudall Metamorphics. It is in close proximity to the Camel-Tabletop Fault Zone. This major crustal-scale structure has been interpreted as the collisional boundary between the Tabletop Terrane and the western Talbot and Connaughton Terranes of the Rudall Complex. The Paterson Orogen hosts a number of atypical, ‘world-class’ mineral deposits/mines, including the Kintyre Uranium deposit, the Nifty Copper Mine, the Telfer gold mine, the Winu Copper-Gold deposit and the Havieron Gold-Copper deposit.
A review of historical data identified numerous potential prospect areas. Historical rock chip assay results of 2376 GPT Au, 3424 GPT Pt, 4904 GPT Pd, 1387gpt Ag and 20.9% Cu have been recorded from a sampling of mineralised outcrops at the main PM Prospect, and it is reported that secondary copper minerals occur over a semi-continuous strike length of more than two kilometres (refer Wamex report A42764). The rock chip samples from old pits and trenches over a 1km strike have given very high Copper and Silver grades. The sample assays average 14.1% Cu and 26.6g/t Ag, with peak values of 48.9% Cu and 115g/t Ag (refer to Wamex report A105133).
The Copper Hills Project has undergone sporadic exploration since the early 1970s. Several prospects have been defined via mapping, geochemistry, geophysics, and drilling, the most notable being Copper Hills/PM and Gazza/ Black Forest.
A review of recent and historical geophysical surveys highlights:
• Untested AEM/FLEM plate models southwest of PM Prospect
• Structures evident in AMAG controlling mineralisation.
• Untested AEM anomalies present to the west of Gazza and in the central south.
• Copper Hills trend is highly chargeable, and other trends are evident in the southwest.
• Gravity delineating shear zone/structure associated with Copper Hills trend.
• Cover appears relatively thin to the south-east of the project.
• Ultramafic rocks interpreted in the south of the project prospective for Cu-Ni-PGE.
Three-dimensional magnetic inversion modelling has been completed over two magnetic features of interest within the southeast of the Copper Hills Project using open file 1986 Canning Aeromagnetic survey data (flown by CRA Exploration A55579 100m line spacing at an altitude of 70m) (Figures 3a-3c) to improve existing geological models, aid better interpretation of structure and lithology and assist in the planning of follow-up works.
The Anomaly 1 feature is visible as an ovoid-shaped magnetic ring with an extent of 1.3km, interpreted to represent a potential intrusive with magnetic aureole (located at a depth of 100m beneath recent cover, extending to a considerable depth of 800m), which may represent intrusives or potential sources prospective for magmatic/hydrothermal Cu-Au/Mo mineralisation. Anomaly 2 is visible as a circular magnetic feature approximately 900m in diameter and has a more diffuse surrounding magnetic ring, which may be a combination of lateritic material in a palaeodrainage and recent cover. 3D modelling suggests a shallow depth (50m) to the magnetic ring with a depth extent of several hundreds of metres.
The Paterson Orogen has attracted considerable exploration attention following significant new discoveries, including the Winu Cu-Au deposit (608 Mt @ 0.4% Cu, 0.3 g/t Au; 2022) and the Havieron Au-Cu deposit (92 Mt@ 1.9g/t Au:2022). The Copper Hills tenement is located in the relatively under-explored southern sector of the Orogen.
Figure 1. Tenement Locati is shown on the GSWA regional aeromagnetic image
Core Geophysics Consultants were engaged to review the previous geophysical surveys at the Copper Hills Project (E45/6437), including compiling and processing available open-file airborne surveys.
Three-dimensional magnetic inversion modelling has been completed by Core Geophysics over two magnetic features of interest within the southeast of the Copper Hills Project (Anomalies 1-2) (Figure 2) Anomaly 1 is visible as an ovoid-shaped magnetic ring with an extent of 1.3km, interpreted to represent a potential intrusive with magnetic aureole (located at depth of 100m beneath recent cover, extending to considerable depth 800m), prospective for magmatic/ hydrothermal Cu-Au/Mo mineralisation. Historical exploration has identified numerous potential prospect areas in the northern part of the tenement with rock chip assay results up to 48.9% Cu (Wamex report A105133). The southern and SE parts of the tenement are underexplored.
Figure 2. Location of Two Circular Magnetic Anomalies with interpreted major structures
Figure 3a. 3D Inversion Modelling of Untested Circular Anomalies
Figure 3b. Anomaly 1- Model looking down magnetic image at 200m depth
With the approval of the tenement, the company plans to test the anomaly 1 and 2 areas by drilling once further exploration has identified the most prospective drill targets.