Testing Two Large-Scale, Early Stage Porphyry Targets
Kincora Copper Ltd (ASX/TSXV – KCC) has commenced drilling at the Nyngan copper gold project, located in the highly prospective Macquarie Arc of the Lachlan Fold Belt in NSW, Australia.
“Success for Kincora’s first pass two-hole programme at the Nyngan project will confirm the rocks are Macquarie Arc,” John Holliday, Technical Committee chair, and Peter Leaman, Senior VP of Exploration, said.
“The programme seeks to test two large porphyry targets in an area that had favourable results in previous drilling 16 years ago and has not been drilled tested since.
“Kincora’s Nyngan and Nevertire projects cover the interpreted most prospective and shallow to moderate cover of the northern Junee-Narromine Belt.
“The Boda discovery by Alkane provides proof of concept, confirming the underexplored northern extension of the parallel Molong belt. Successful drill testing of Nyngan, or by other groups currently undertaking undercover drilling in the Junee-Narromine belt, will significantly enhance the wider prospectivity of this underexplored section of the belt.
“Kincora’s drilling activities remain ongoing at the Trundle project with preparations to commence drilling at the Fairholme gold project once the program at Nyngan is concluded.”
The company was awarded A$120,000 in the third round of the New Frontiers Co-Operative Drilling Grants programme from the Government of NSW for drilling at the Nyngan project. The grant monies are non-dilutionary and will fund direct drilling costs on a matched dollar-for- dollar basis.
The NSW Government has only just announced a fourth round of the New Frontiers Cooperative Drilling grants programme, which will shortly open for applications. Kincora intends to apply for both its Nyngan and Jemalong projects.
Kincora secured the Nyngan project via direct application from the NSW Government. The application area was selected based on its stratigraphic-structural setting and favourable results from the last drilling programme by Newcrest Mining Limited in 2005 that were not followed up.
Four holes were completed in the last drilling programme. Three of these intersected basement at depths between 255m to 322m. Drill hole ACDNY002 recorded bornite- chalcopyrite-chalcocite-pyrite mineralisation associated with strong hematite alteration in clasts of volcaniclastic conglomerate that the ongoing Kincora program is looking to follow up.
The first-phase drilling programme at Nyngan is using cost-effective mud-rotary drilling to cut through the un-mineralised post-mineral sedimentary cover, then will transition to diamond core drilling upon refusal or once basement is reached.
Petrologic, lithogeochemcial, green rock analysis and age dating will be carried out as appropriate in addition to traditional assay suites to assist with vectoring, follow-up exploration and confirmation of the targeted Macquarie Arc terrane. This is a proven exploration strategy in the covered segments of the Macquarie Arc having been directly responsible for the Northparkes and Cowal discoveries, and currently also being applied in various other undercover sections of the Junee-Narromine belt by FMG and Inflection Resources.
The Junee-Narromine Belt is considered highly prospective for large gold-copper porphyry deposits and/or epithermal gold deposits and hosts the CMOC Northparkes deposits, Evolution Mining’s Cowal deposits, Alkane’s Tomingley gold mine and Kincora’s Trundle project, where drilling commenced in April 2020 and remains ongoing.
