Talisman Mining’s Maiden Drilling Reveals Gold and Copper Potential at East Peak Hill

Maiden Drilling Uncovers Multiple Mineralisation Styles

Talisman Mining (ASX:TLM) has delivered its first batch of assay results from a maiden 5,546m air-core drilling campaign at the East Peak Hill Project in New South Wales, revealing encouraging signs of both vein-style gold and porphyry-style copper-gold mineralisation. The drilling, spread over 95 holes along seven lines, tested a 4.5km strike within the highly prospective Junee-Narromine Volcanic Belt, a region known for hosting significant deposits including Alkane Resources’ Tomingley gold district just 10km to the northwest.

The standout results came from Line 2, where three consecutive holes intersected a 9m zone averaging 0.67g/t gold with a peak 3m interval hitting 1.75g/t Au. This mineralisation aligns with a key geological contact between volcaniclastic and sedimentary rocks, mirroring the structural position of the nearby Tomingley mine. Alongside gold, elevated arsenic and antimony pathfinder elements reinforce the interpretation of orogenic gold potential in this zone.

Meanwhile, Line 7 returned a broad, approximately 350m wide zone of anomalous copper, cobalt, zinc, and gold mineralisation sitting within weathered volcaniclastic and andesitic porphyry rocks. This mineralisation is interpreted as supergene enrichment above a deeper porphyry copper-gold system, located adjacent to a large demagnetised geophysical anomaly that could represent a secondary porphyritic intrusion. The style and alteration closely resemble porphyry systems such as the nearby Buryan prospect owned by Magmatic Resources, situated 20km along strike.

Exploration Strategy and Next Steps

The initial drill program was designed with broad 400m to 800m line spacing to provide a regional-scale test of the target intrusive rocks and associated structures. The air-core holes were drilled at 60 degrees inclined towards grid west, with samples composited over 3m intervals and analysed for gold, copper, and multiple pathfinder elements.

Some planned drill lines (3 and 4) were curtailed due to land access issues but will be extended in the upcoming follow-up campaign. This next phase, scheduled to commence in mid-May, will focus on infilling and extending the current lines, particularly to better test the orogenic gold target on Line 2 and the copper-gold porphyry target south of Line 7’s demagnetised zone. The follow-up program will add approximately 4,300m of air-core drilling.

Talisman’s Managing Director Andrew Munckton highlighted the significance of intersecting ore-grade gold mineralisation in the targeted structural position and the discovery of a broad copper-cobalt-zinc zone with associated gold and silver. He emphasised the analogy to the nearby Tomingley and Buryan deposits and the potential for these targets to evolve into substantial mineral systems.

Regional Context and Technical Rigor

East Peak Hill sits within a geologically fertile corridor of the Macquarie Arc, hosting some of Australia’s largest gold and copper-gold deposits. The Junee-Narromine Volcanic Belt is recognised for both orogenic gold and porphyry copper-gold mineralisation styles, which Talisman is actively exploring with modern techniques including detailed magnetic surveys and geochemical sampling.

This drilling campaign builds on earlier auger sampling that identified anomalous pathfinder elements such as arsenic, antimony, bismuth, copper, and molybdenum, despite challenges with transported cover. The air-core program’s comprehensive QAQC protocols and methodical sampling provide confidence in the assay data, though true widths of mineralisation remain undetermined at this early stage.

The maiden drilling results complement recent confirmation of near-surface gold mineralisation at other Talisman NSW projects, including Walkers Hill, where air-core drilling also revealed broad gold zones and pathfinder elements, strengthening the company’s regional exploration momentum. These findings come amid Talisman’s broader strategy to leverage its extensive tenement holdings across the Lachlan and Macquarie arcs to unlock new copper and gold discoveries. broad zones of shallow gold

While the assay results are preliminary and some drill lines were incomplete, the combination of gold and copper-cobalt-zinc anomalies, their structural context, and proximity to established mining operations make East Peak Hill a compelling exploration target. The upcoming drilling program will be critical to testing the continuity and scale of these mineralised zones and refining geological models.