Reach Resources says it has confirmed high-grade copper-oxide mineralisation at its Morrissey Hill project in Western Australia’s Gascoyne region after gleaning results of up to 33.2 per cent copper from recent rock-chip sampling.
The impressive results were from the company’s Swallowtail prospect from an outcropping quartz‐veined gossan that shows visible malachite through a strike length of about 150m.
The high-grade copper sample also returned additional anomalies including 0.2 grams per tonne gold and 141.8g/t silver. Further sample highlights include 14.7 per cent copper, 0.02g/t gold and 55.6g/t silver.
Historical sampling about 3km west of Swallowtail returned results of up to 18.5 per cent copper, 1.1g/t gold and 6.8g/t silver and suggests potential for Reach to be able to extend the strike length. The company says it will begin geochemical surveys at the prospect as soon as next week to refine targets as it plans to for a maiden drill program at the operation.
Reach Resources chief executive officer Jeremy Bower said: “The Morrissey Hill tenement at our Yinnetharra Project continues to deliver. These are outstanding copper results and in conjunction with the 2.3% Li20 announced earlier this week, it is clear how prospective the ground is.”
Just this week, samples from the company’s Bonzer prospect that forms part of Morrissey Hill returned significant results, including the assay showing 2.3 per cent lithium oxide, which also featured 4295 parts per million caesium, 705.8ppm tantalum oxide and 7978ppm rubidium. Other solid assays from Bonzer include 1.4 per cent lithium oxide, 2873ppm caesium, 714.4ppm tantalum oxide and 4891ppm rubidium, while a further sample returned 1.3 per cent lithium oxide, 2205ppm caesium, 243.4ppm tantalum oxide and 4108ppm rubidium.
Management says the assays identify Bonzer as a clear drill target, with consistent lithium grades from a big pegmatite about 1.5km long.
Reach is also reporting positive samples from its Malibu prospect, which again is part of Morrissey Hill and lies south-east of Bonzer, with assay highlights showing 6524ppm lithium oxide, 505ppm caesium, 81.1ppm tantalum oxide and 1462ppm rubidium. Additional results include one sample showing 3547ppm lithium oxide, 190ppm caesium, 153.8ppm tantalum oxide and 1293ppm rubidium.
Malibu contains pegmatite outcrops in a strike length of at least 500m and is just 3km from Bonzer.
As outlined by Bulls N’ Bears last week, Morrissey Hill sits directly between two exploration heavyweights in Minerals 260 and Delta Lithium, which was formerly known as Red Dirt Metals. Delta’s Yinnetharra project sits to the north of Reach and has returned intercepts including 29m at 1.4 per cent lithium oxide and even a 90m hit going 0.95 per cent lithium oxide.
Now that the company has identified significant copper-oxide mineralisation in addition to the lithium potential at the site, the market will be keen to see what Reach’s next move will be at an operation that has never seen a drilling campaign.
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By Michael Philipps
