Tennant Minerals has intersected a thick zone of intense copper-gold-bismuth mineralisation at its Bluebird discovery, extending the high-grade resource footprint and underpinning plans for further exploration and metallurgical testing.
- 19.7m intersection with visible gold, native copper, and bismuth sulphides
- Extension of high-grade copper-gold-bismuth zone below current Mineral Resource
- Potential to more than double Bluebird's mineralised footprint within a large gravity anomaly
- Samples collected for metallurgical test-work to optimise gold and bismuth recovery
- Partnership in Tennant Creek Copper Alliance advancing shared processing facility feasibility
Significant Mineralised Intersection at Bluebird
Tennant Minerals Ltd (ASX:TMS) has announced a substantial 19.7-metre downhole intersection of intense copper-gold-bismuth mineralisation at its Bluebird discovery within the 100%-owned Barkly Project in the Northern Territory. Drillhole BBDD0050 revealed a hematite-quartz/jasper breccia hosting native copper, bismuth sulphides, and visible gold specks, marking a notable extension of the high-grade zone below the existing Mineral Resource.
The mineralised interval includes 4.55 metres averaging 5% combined copper and bismuth sulphides with visible gold blebs, and a further 15.15 metres of jasper-hematite breccia containing up to 5% native copper and copper sulphides such as chalcopyrite and chalcocite. While these visual estimates highlight the intensity of mineralisation, Tennant Minerals cautions that laboratory assays are pending to confirm grades and widths.
Expanding the Bluebird High-Grade Footprint
This new intersection lies west and down-plunge of the recently defined open-pit Mineral Resource, which totals 1.58 million tonnes at 3.00% copper equivalent, including 1.07 million tonnes of Indicated Resources at 3.43% CuEq (see the Maiden Bluebird Copper-Gold Resource). The drilling confirms continuity of the high-grade zone below previous bonanza hits such as 24m at 11.8 g/t gold and 0.66% copper, suggesting potential for significant underground extensions.
Gravity inversion modelling reveals a large ironstone body coincident with the Bluebird structure, indicating mineralisation could extend over 400 metres west of the current drilling. This geophysical target opens the possibility of more than doubling the Bluebird mineralised footprint, a prospect Tennant Minerals plans to test with further drilling supported by co-funding applications through the Northern Territory’s GRANTS-NT scheme.
Metallurgical Testing and Strategic Alliance
Samples from the latest drill core will feed metallurgical test-work aimed at improving recoveries of gold and bismuth, alongside copper and silver. Previous bulk sample testing demonstrated copper recoveries up to 90% and gold recoveries to concentrate reaching 79%. Given the recent surge in gold prices and a sharp rise in bismuth pricing; now around USD 30,000 per tonne; optimising recovery of these metals could materially enhance project economics.
Tennant Minerals remains an active participant in the Tennant Creek Copper Alliance, a collaboration with CuFe Ltd (ASX:CUF) and Emmerson Resources Ltd (ASX:ERM) focused on developing a shared processing facility. This alliance recently secured $1.2 million in combined government and partner funding for a Pre-Feasibility Study, aiming to lower capital costs and environmental impact through economies of scale.
Geological Context and Future Exploration
The mineralisation style at Bluebird mirrors the classic high-grade copper-gold orebodies of the Tennant Creek Mineral Field, historically one of Australia’s richest copper-gold provinces. The deposit features intense hematite alteration and brecciation with copper sulphides transitioning from secondary malachite near surface to primary hypogene sulphides at depth. The presence of native copper and bismuth sulphides alongside visible gold adds complexity and potential value.
Drilling to date has identified mineralisation over a 500-metre strike length and to depths exceeding 250 metres, with recent results highlighting open extensions both westward and down-plunge. Tennant Minerals is pursuing a dual strategy of resource definition at Bluebird while advancing regional targets along the Bluebird-Perseverance corridor, leveraging geophysical and geochemical data to guide exploration.
With assay results from the current drilling expected within weeks, and metallurgical studies underway, investors will be watching how these developments translate into resource upgrades and project advancement amid a favourable metals price environment.
Bottom Line?
Tennant Minerals’ latest drilling at Bluebird strengthens the case for a substantial underground copper-gold-bismuth resource, but assay confirmation and metallurgical optimisation will be critical next steps.
Questions in the middle?
- Will upcoming assay results confirm the grades suggested by the visual mineralisation in BBDD0050?
- How will metallurgical test-work impact recoveries of gold and bismuth, given their rising market prices?
- Can further drilling and co-funding unlock the large gravity anomaly west of Bluebird to significantly expand the resource?