Thomson Project Drilling Intersects Extensive Quartz-Pyrrhotite Veins, Assays Pending
Legacy Minerals has completed its inaugural drilling campaign at the Thomson Project in north-west NSW, intersecting extensive quartz-sulphide veins indicative of promising intrusion-related gold and copper mineralisation. Assay results are pending, with further drilling approvals underway to explore additional targets.
- Completion of first drilling campaign at Thomson Project
- Wide zones of quartz-pyrrhotite-pyrite veins intersected
- Drill core processing underway; assays expected in 6-8 weeks
- Historical drilling showed significant gold, silver, copper, and base metals
- Further drilling approvals secured for Cut-A and other anomalies
Exploration Milestone Achieved at Thomson Project
Legacy Minerals has successfully completed its first drilling campaign targeting the F4 and Cut-B anomalies within the Thomson Project, located in far north-west New South Wales. These anomalies were identified through coincident magnetic and gravity geophysical data, suggesting potential intrusion-related gold and copper mineralisation.
The drilling intersected wide zones of quartz and quartz-pyrrhotite-pyrite veins, which are interpreted as the source of the magnetic and gravity anomalies. The drill holes penetrated through the sedimentary cover into basement rocks, revealing a variably altered meta-siltstone package with abundant quartz veining extending to depths of over 460 and 600 metres respectively.
Context from Historical Drilling and Regional Analogues
Historical drilling at the nearby Cut-B anomaly in 2011 encountered extensive alteration and elevated gold-copper anomalism, including high-grade intervals such as 1 metre at 6.73 grams per tonne gold and 1 metre at 497 grams per tonne silver. These results underscore the prospectivity of the area and provide a valuable benchmark for the current exploration.
The Thomson Project shares geological characteristics with major intrusion-related gold-copper districts like Western Australia's Paterson Province, home to significant deposits such as Winu and Havieron. This regional analogy enhances the potential significance of Legacy Minerals' findings.
Next Steps and Future Drilling Plans
Drill core processing is underway, with assay results expected within six to eight weeks. These results will be critical to confirming the economic potential of the mineralisation intersected. Meanwhile, Legacy Minerals has secured funding and government approvals to conduct follow-up drilling at both the Cut-B and F4 targets. Additional approvals are also in progress to test further high-priority anomalies, including the historically promising Cut-A anomaly.
Legacy Minerals’ CEO Christopher Byrne highlighted the significance of the campaign, noting the validation of their targeting approach and the district-scale opportunity presented by the Thomson Project. The company is positioned as a first mover in this underexplored region, aiming to unlock new mineral discoveries beneath the sedimentary cover.
Geological and Technical Insights
The magnetic anomalies correspond with zones of hydrothermal pyrrhotite-bearing quartz veins, a mineral assemblage commonly associated with intrusion-related gold and copper systems. The drilling also confirmed the presence of alteration minerals such as silica, carbonate, albite, and biotite, consistent with a hydrothermal system. While the relationship between veining and assay grades remains to be fully established, these geological observations support the prospectivity of the targets.
Legacy Minerals continues to leverage comprehensive geophysical datasets, including aeromagnetic, gravity, and induced polarisation surveys, to refine its exploration model and prioritise targets across the 5,500 square kilometre tenure of the Thomson Project.
Bottom Line?
As assay results loom, Legacy Minerals’ first drilling success at Thomson sets the stage for a potentially transformative discovery in a new Australian gold-copper frontier.
Questions in the middle?
- What grades and continuity will the pending assay results reveal from the F4 and Cut-B drill cores?
- How will follow-up drilling at Cut-A and other anomalies refine the understanding of the mineral system?
- Can Legacy Minerals replicate the scale and grade of major intrusion-related deposits seen in analogous regions?
