Noronex’s Maiden Diamond Drilling Unveils Deeper Copper Potential at Fiesta
Noronex Limited’s first diamond drilling program at the Fiesta Copper Project in Namibia reveals significant copper and silver mineralisation at depth, expanding the project’s scale and geological understanding. Funded by South32 under an earn-in agreement, ongoing drilling promises further insights.
- Two new significant mineralised intercepts from deep diamond drilling
- Copper grades up to 0.7% with associated silver values
- Drilling funded by South32 under earn-in agreement
- Enhanced geological understanding from orientated core samples
- Further drilling underway to extend mineralisation footprint
Expanding the Fiesta Copper Project
Noronex Limited (ASX, NRX) has reported encouraging results from its inaugural diamond drilling campaign at the Fiesta Copper Project in Namibia. The program, funded by South32 Limited under a previously announced earn-in agreement, has intersected copper mineralisation at depths exceeding 370 metres, confirming the presence of significant mineralised zones well below previously known levels.
The highlight drill hole, 25FIEDD026, returned two distinct mineralised intervals, 11 metres grading 0.5% copper and 18 grams per tonne silver from 371 metres, and a deeper 6 metres at 0.7% copper with 15 grams per tonne silver from 455 metres. These results build on earlier reverse circulation drilling and substantially expand the known scale of mineralisation at Fiesta.
Geological Insights and Mineralisation Style
This maiden diamond drilling has provided Noronex’s geological team with valuable core samples that reveal the mineralisation style and structural controls at depth. The copper occurs predominantly as fine chalcocite, bornite, and chalcopyrite within steeply dipping, chlorite-altered shales and siltstones of the D’Kar sedimentary sequence. Visible sulphide mineralisation in veins and along cleavage planes confirms a complex but coherent mineral system analogous to other major deposits in the region, such as the Khoemacau Copper Project in Botswana.
Additionally, a vertical water borehole drilled to support the diamond drilling intersected mineralisation near the base of weathering, an important indicator of further mineral potential in this underexplored area. While sampling from this borehole may be affected by contamination, the presence of copper and silver anomalies is nonetheless promising.
Strategic Partnership and Next Steps
The drilling program is part of Noronex’s broader strategy to leverage its Strategic Alliance Agreement with South32, which provides funding and technical collaboration to accelerate exploration across the Humpback-Damara Project. Noronex remains the manager of exploration activities, employing modern techniques to refine targeting and resource growth.
With two more diamond holes planned and drilling ongoing, the company anticipates further assay results that will clarify the extent and continuity of mineralisation. These results will be critical to assessing the project’s potential to evolve into a significant copper-silver resource within the prolific Kalahari Copper Belt.
Bottom Line?
Noronex’s deep drilling success at Fiesta sets the stage for a potentially transformative resource update as exploration intensifies.
Questions in the middle?
- What will the assay results from the remaining diamond drill holes reveal about mineralisation continuity?
- How might South32’s earn-in funding influence the pace and scale of exploration at Fiesta and surrounding prospects?
- Could the geological similarities to major regional deposits translate into a substantial resource upgrade for Noronex?