Venatica Samples Up to 9.5% Copper; Olympic Domain Shows Large Conductive Targets

Strategic Exploration in World-Class Copper Belts

Altair Minerals Limited (ASX: ALR) has presented a comprehensive investor update spotlighting its high-potential copper exploration projects across two globally significant mining jurisdictions: Peru and Australia. The company’s flagship Venatica Project in Peru is positioned on the northern extension of the Andahuaylas-Yauri Porphyry Belt, a prolific copper-producing region hosting multiple billion-tonne deposits. Meanwhile, the Olympic Domain Project in South Australia’s Gawler Craton is strategically located adjacent to BHP’s Oak Dam IOCG deposit, offering compelling geophysical targets for discovery.

Both projects benefit from Altair’s focused strategy of leveraging geological analogues to Tier-1 copper assets, combined with a lean, expert-driven exploration approach. The company’s technical team, credited with previous discoveries totaling over 11.4 million tonnes of copper and 26 million ounces of gold, is systematically advancing these projects with a clear eye on delineating commercially viable mineral resources.

Venatica Project: High-Grade Surface Mineralisation and District Scale Potential

Venatica stands out with surface copper grades reaching up to 9.5%, alongside significant gold, silver, and molybdenum credits. Historical small-scale mining has confirmed copper mineralisation extending to at least 10 metres depth, with grades around 4% copper. The project covers a 337 square kilometre package along a major batholith contact that has historically hosted five copper deposits each exceeding one billion tonnes in resource size.

Altair’s exploration model is focused on identifying the porphyry source of the extensive surface mineralisation and testing its vertical extent through upcoming drilling campaigns planned for Q2 2025. The company aims to uncover the fourth billion-tonne deposit along this trend, which includes the world-class Las Bambas mine located just 60 kilometres along strike.

Olympic Domain: Proximal to IOCG Giants with Untested Geophysical Anomalies

In Australia, the Olympic Domain Project encompasses 831 square kilometres across three key prospects, including Horse Well, Pernatty C, and Lake Torrens. The project area is marked by large conductive and phase anomalies identified through advanced geophysical surveys, which remain largely untested by drilling. Notably, historic drilling intercepted significant copper mineralisation (e.g., 115m at 0.62% CuEq) near these anomalies but narrowly missed the core IOCG mineralised bodies.

Altair’s geophysical modelling reveals ovoid conductive zones with strike lengths exceeding those of BHP’s Oak Dam deposit, which contains over 1.3 billion tonnes at 0.66% copper. The company is advancing heritage surveys and seeking joint venture partners to co-fund discovery drilling, aiming to capitalize on this underexplored IOCG frontier.

Technical Expertise and Disciplined Growth Strategy

Altair’s leadership and technical advisory team bring decades of experience from major mining companies and have been instrumental in landmark discoveries such as Carrapateena and Havieron. This expertise underpins a disciplined exploration philosophy that prioritizes capital efficiency and targets only assets demonstrating Tier-1 geological characteristics and takeover appeal.

The company is concurrently advancing its Wee MacGregor copper-gold project in Queensland and evaluating additional greenfield and brownfield opportunities to build a diversified portfolio of quality assets. Altair’s strategic focus aligns with the growing global copper demand driven by the energy transition, electric vehicles, and renewable infrastructure development.

Looking Ahead: Drilling and Discovery in 2025

Altair plans to commence systematic drilling programs in 2025, starting with the Venatica Project to test the vertical extent of its high-grade copper porphyry system, followed by exploration at Olympic Domain to target the untested conductive cores. These efforts aim to validate the company’s geological models and potentially deliver significant resource growth, positioning Altair as a compelling copper exploration story in the ASX market.