The Luanshya project in Zambia’s traditional copper-belt is intersected by a NW-SE trend-line that is around 5-10 kilometres wide in places and known to host copper mineralisation.
Outcropping sedimentary rock at the Luanshya Project
Castillo Copper Ltd (ASX:CCZ) (LON:CCZ) has received encouraging results from a recently completed infill soil geochemical sampling campaign which firm up a 6-kilometre copper target at Luanshya project within the Zambian pillar.
The infill campaign, which reduced the sample and line spacing in the anomalous area identified previously in April 2020, utilised a portable XRF device to collect 765 soil samples.
Overall, the results were encouraging with copper in soil anomalies up to 2,600ppm copper defined.
“Start of an exciting journey”
London-based director Ged Hall said: “The work undertaken by our geology team in Zambia has delivered a compelling initial outcome, with a circa 6-kilometre copper strike to explore.
“This is the start of an exciting journey which is unfolding to the upside.”
Zambia soil sampling team.
Induced polarisation survey
To further test the identified copper mineralisation along strike, the geology team shortly plans to dig five trenches with a total length of about 1,500 metres to garner incremental insights.
Once the results of the trenching program are reviewed, the next phase will be an induced polarisation survey to identify geophysical anomalies at depth.
Post the IP survey, the Zambia geology team aims to reconcile results of the geochemical and geophysical data to begin formulating an inaugural drilling campaign to test key targets.
Castillo Copper’s managing director Simon Paull said: “It is pleasing to be able confirm that CCZ now has geology teams undertaking excellent work in Zambia and northwest Queensland.
“Notably, the infill results from the Luanshya Project clearly underscore the potential exploration upside along the circa 6-kilometre strike.
“The geology team’s objective is to systematically complete trenching and geophysical work then formulate priority targets to test-drill.”
The company’s next steps in Zambia include:
- Process surface samples undertaken for the Mkushi Project; and
- Progress trenching campaign at Luanshya Project.
Copper-belt known for large-scale mines
The Luanshya Project is in Zambia’s traditional copper-belt, which is well known for numerous large-scale copper mines and deposits, including the nearby operations of China Nonferrous Mining Corp (CNMC).
To recap, previous desktop work by CCZ’s in-country geology team highlighted four regional trendlines, around 5-10 kilometres wide in places, running NW-SE that are known to host copper mineralisation.
It is now confirmed the anomalous area and two of CNMC’s three operating copper mines are on the same trendline that intersects the Luanshya project.
Zambia is one of three pillars that Castillo Copper is progressing in its aim to become a mid-tier copper producer with the others being Mt Oxide in Queensland and Cangai in northern NSW.
