Tertiary Minerals (LSE:TYM) reported preliminary portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) results identifying a new shallow copper zone at Target A1, part of its Mushima North project in Zambia.
The AIM-listed explorer is calling the discovery the Western Zone, located approximately 900 metres west-southwest of the Discovery Zone, where the company has previously outlined a JORC-compliant Exploration Target of 15 to 30 million tonnes at 40 to 60 grams per tonne silver equivalent.
One scout hole, 26TMNRC-076, returned 25 metres at 0.38% copper from 19 metres downhole, including 13 metres at 0.53% copper from 29 metres and 3 metres at 0.75% copper from 33 metres.
Unlike the silver-copper-zinc mineralisation at the Discovery Zone, the Western Zone appears to be copper-only, though this remains unconfirmed pending certified laboratory analysis.
"These results continue to support our wider geological model and belief that the Mushima North Project has the potential to host a much larger mineralised system than has been delineated to date," said Richard Belcher, Managing Director.
The Western Zone holes were drilled alongside a larger infill programme at the Discovery Zone, part of a 39-hole, 3,639-metre Phase 4 campaign now complete.
Additional pXRF results from the Discovery Zone and a first scout hole at Target A2 are expected imminently, with certified laboratory results due over the coming weeks. Belcher said the company aims to produce a Mineral Resource Estimate before the end of the year, with initial metallurgical testwork set to begin imminently.
News Intelligence what this means for the company
Tertiary Minerals has identified a new shallow copper zone (the Western Zone) 900 metres from its existing Discovery Zone at Mushima North in Zambia, based on preliminary pXRF results from a single scout hole returning 25 metres at 0.38% copper. The company has completed its Phase 4 drill programme (3,639 metres across 39 holes) and expects certified laboratory results and a Mineral Resource Estimate before year-end, but the Western Zone remains unconfirmed pending lab analysis and appears copper-only rather than the silver-copper-zinc mix at the Discovery Zone.
The Western Zone discovery extends the prospectivity of Mushima North and supports management's view of a larger mineralised system, but remains preliminary—pXRF is a field screening tool, not certified assay. The company's path to a resource estimate and metallurgical testwork is on track, but investors should await lab confirmation and resource definition before assessing material impact on project value.
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