Auroch Minerals reports ‘spectacular’ results from metals project

Auroch Minerals Limited (ASX:AOU) has today announced positive results from reconnaissance sampling at its 90%-owned Arden Base-Metals Project.

During recent reconnaissance field mapping and sampling, AOU has observed extensive sedex-style base-metal mineralisation at three of the advanced target areas at the Arden Project: Ragless Range, Radford Creek and Kanyaka.

Importantly, high-grade zinc, copper and cobalt mineralisation was confirmed by laboratory analyses of rock-chip samples. Sedex (sedimentary exhalative) deposits, such as the giant Mt Isa deposit in QLD, account for over half of the world’s zinc and lead production.

The Arden Project is located in the world-class base-metal mining region of South Australia, host to numerous large base-metal deposits including the Beltana zinc deposit, the Angas zinc deposit and the Kanmantoo Copper deposit.

‘Stratiform sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) mineralisation’ containing zinc, lead, copper and cobalt, was confirmed at three target areas, which are:

• Ragless Range Zinc Target — results of rock chips collected from existing trenches included: o6.97% Zn, 6.53% Zn and 5.55% Zn;
  
• Kanyaka Copper-Cobalt Target — results of rock chips taken from old workings included: o12.4% Cu, 2.4% Zn and 0.5% Co; and o9.9% Cu, 4.0% Zn, 0.2% Co and 0.2g/t Au;
  
• Radford Creek Lead-Zinc Target — results from rock-chips taken from existing trenches included 3.9% Pb and 1.7% Zn, and 2.9% Pb and 1.6% Zn.
  

Of course, as with all minerals exploration, success is not guaranteed — consider your own personal circumstances before investing and seek professional financial advice.

Auroch Executive Chairman Glenn Whiddon commented on today’s news:

“The recent field work at the Arden Project has confirmed the presence of high-grade base-metal mineralisation over multiple target areas and highlights the potential for a substantial zinc, lead, copper and cobalt play supported by excellent infrastructure, which includes Nyrstar’s large base-metals smelter and refinery nearby in Port Pirie.

“Auroch is excited by the prospect and has set an aggressive exploration programme to systematically evaluate the multiple target areas in 2018,” he said.

AOU’s team has also observed and sampled existing trenches and old workings within the previously identified targets at Ragless Range, Radford Creek and Kanyaka.

In-situ rock-chip samples were collected from trenches, creek beds and other outcrops, as well as float rocks on dumps surrounding the old workings.

The below table shows the significant results by target area within the Arden Base-Metals Project:

https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20180411/pdf/43t3p6gh91xx2b.pdf

Result highlights are shown as per location in the map below:

Historical work and planned exploration

The Arden Project contains several historic artisanal mines for zinc, lead, copper, iron and manganese. Between 1966 and 1972, the company now known as Rio Tinto identified Sedex-style zinc and copper mineralisation potential over 10 kilometres of strike and up to 40 metres wide.

Since 1980, the Arden Project area has been the focus of diamond exploration, and as such has not undergone systematic modern base-metal exploration. That is about to change, with AOU’s plans for Arden laid out as follows:

• Southern Geoscience Consultants (SGC) have commenced re-processing and interpretation of the existing geophysical data;
  
• A high-resolution (100 metre line-spacing) aeromagnetic survey has been planned for the Arden Project for this quarter, along with a surface geochemistry sampling program;
  
• Target areas identified from the geochemical, geophysical and geological data will be ranked in order of priority; and
  
• A drilling campaign over the highest-priority targets in Q3 this year.