Great Western Starts Drilling at Juggernaut VHMS Copper-Gold Targets

Drilling Underway at Juggernaut Copper-Gold Camp

Great Western Exploration (ASX:GTE) has launched reverse circulation (RC) drilling at its Juggernaut copper-gold project within the Yerrida North tenure, aiming to unlock a potentially significant volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) mineralised system. The program targets six discrete copper-gold prospects, Archer, Falconer, Seymour, Smith, Howard, and Palmer, spread across a 2,100-metre campaign of 18 planned drill holes.

Juggernaut sits approximately 70 kilometres south-east of Sandfire Resources’ DeGrussa and Monty VHMS deposits, known for their high-grade copper-gold mineralisation. Great Western interprets Juggernaut as a camp-style VHMS system, where multiple deposits cluster around volcanic vents. The six targets exhibit strong geochemical anomalies, including lead-zinc and copper lag soils, and structural features consistent with rift-related sedimentary and volcanic sequences akin to those hosting DeGrussa.

Geological Setting and Target Characteristics

Mapping and sampling have revealed sedimentary rocks such as siltstones, sandstones, and cherts interbedded with volcanic units showing pillow basalt textures, indicative of a deep-seafloor environment with syngenetic volcanism. These rocks are part of the Killara Formation, considered equivalent in age and composition to the DeGrussa Formation in the adjacent Bryah Basin.

The targets are defined by broad zoned lead-zinc and copper soil anomalies supported by rock-chip samples returning notable silver, lead, zinc, and copper grades. Structural modelling highlights a major north-south regional fault system with dilation zones potentially conducive to VHMS mineralisation and vent formation. Seymour and Howard targets, for example, lie within folded vent horizons and have already yielded significant rock-chip assays.

Baroo Target and Diorama Results on Horizon

Following the Juggernaut drilling, Great Western plans to immediately commence RC drilling at the Baroo copper-gold target. Baroo is a newly delineated quartz vein system, more than five metres wide and extending over 140 metres, which returned elevated copper values from rock-chip sampling but has not been previously mapped or drilled.

Meanwhile, assay results from a recently completed 2,200-metre air core program at the Diorama copper-gold target are expected later this month. Diorama is another DeGrussa-style VHMS prospect within Great Western’s Yerrida North Project, reinforcing the company’s aggressive exploration push across multiple high-potential targets in the underexplored Yerrida Basin.

Great Western’s Managing Director Shane Pike emphasised the potential for a VHMS discovery at Juggernaut, highlighting the convergence of favourable geological, structural, and geochemical indicators. The company’s methodical approach to testing these targets with modern drilling techniques aims to replicate the success seen at DeGrussa, which remains one of Western Australia’s most significant copper-gold deposits.