Encounter drills encouraging end-of-hole copper at BM7

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Encounter Resources (ASX: ENR) has received assay results from an ongoing drilling program being conducted as part of copper exploration activities at the company’s Yeneena project in the Paterson Province of Western Australia.

Encounter recently commenced a 5000m, seven line aircore drill program to test a southern 2.4 kilometre extension of the BM7 copper-cobalt system.

The company said the results it has received indicate a broad zone of near surface regolith anomalism across the centre of the section with higher grade, coherent copper-cobalt mineralisation identified at the eastern end of the line.

Five contiguous holes drilled at the eastern end of Line 1 all terminated in mineralised, strongly oxidized Proterozoic sediments.

 

BM7 south cross section – Eastern end of Line 1. Source: Company announcement

 

Two of the holes terminate in oxidized shale containing fine iron oxide disseminations that are interpreted to represent copper sulphide gossans.

Results from the five contiguous drill holes spanning 250m include:

–    8 metres at 0.52 per cent copper and 364 parts per million cobalt from 76 metres to end of hole (EOH), including 2 metres at 0.8 per cent copper and 464ppm cobalt from 82 metre to EOH;

–    34m at 0.43 per cent copper and 238ppm cobalt from 32m to EOH, including 6m at 0.79 per cent copper and 209ppm cobalt from 32m;

–    24m at 0.35 per cent copper and 554ppm cobalt from 28m to EOH;

–    15m at 0.46 per cent copper and 412ppm cobalt from 28m to EOH, including 4m at 0.9 per cent copper and 1042ppm cobalt from 38m; and

–    2m at 0.61 per cent copper and 804ppm cobalt from 32m to EOH.

Using a handheld XRF machine, Encounter recorded results from Lines 2, 3 and 4, which it interpreted to indicate the copper oxide anomalism intersected on Line 1 extends further to the south on a SSW orientation.

Assay results from Lines 2 and 3 are expected to be received later this month.

“The aircore drilling program was designed as a rapid reconnaissance program to collect subsurface geochemical data over a 2.4 kilometre long section of the BM7 geophysical target,” Encounter Resources said in its ASX announcement.

“A number of the aircore holes terminated in lithified cover sediments above the target depth.

“Accordingly, the company has engaged an RC drilling rig to complete a series of short sections across the BM7 South target.

“The RC drilling program will initially concentrate on the highly silicified area south of Line 4 where aircore drilling failed to penetrate through the cover sediments.

“In addition a number of RC holes will be drilled to test beneath areas of higher grade end of hole copper-cobalt mineralisation intersected in the aircore drilling.”

Encounter said it anticipates 10-15 RC holes will be drilled in this RC program for a total of 2000m of drilling.

Results from this drill program are expected in December 2012.