BOA Resources has extended the interpreted copper mineralised trend at Rooneys beyond 500 metres, with shallow high-grade intersections supporting a larger follow-up drilling campaign. The results add another exploration thread to the company’s expanding Neds Creek project, although continuity and true widths remain untested.
- Rooneys mineralised trend extended beyond 500m
- 4m at 3.54% copper from 10m
- 16m at 2.47% copper from 58m
- New cross-cutting copper structure identified
- Expanded RC drilling planned, with further assays pending
Rooneys copper trend expands beyond 500 metres
BOA Resources Limited (ASX:BOA) has more than doubled the exploration target tested at the Rooneys prospect, with maiden aircore drilling extending the interpreted copper mineralised trend to more than 500 metres. The 23-hole, 1,486-metre program delivered several strong shallow intersections, including 4 metres at 3.54% copper from 10 metres and 16 metres at 2.47% copper from 58 metres in hole 26NCAC0016.
Other notable results included 10 metres at 1.75% copper from 51 metres and 9 metres at 1.52% copper from 28 metres. BOA said drilling added 320 metres of high-grade copper mineralisation west of the main trend, which had originally been tested over about 200 metres of strike. The reported intervals are downhole lengths; true widths have not yet been established.
New structures broaden the drilling target
The results point to more than a simple extension of the known east-west, steeply north-dipping structure. BOA interprets the upper 4-metre intersection in hole 26NCAC0016 as part of the western extension, while the deeper 16-metre intersection appears unrelated to a known mineralised position and may represent a second high-grade structure.
A further 4-metre interval grading 1.08% copper from 57 metres in hole 26NCAC0021 sits in the interpreted position of a mapped north-trending structure. That gives the company additional structural targets to test, though the announcement does not establish continuity, a mineral resource or an economic deposit at Rooneys. The planned next step is an expanded reverse-circulation drilling program targeting the extensions, depth continuity and newly identified zones.
Neds Creek assay pipeline remains active
Rooneys adds to a run of exploration results across Neds Creek, following the Assays are still pending for 21 Blockley holes, all holes at Mueller, Limestone Bore and Ward, and 12 remaining RC holes from Ricci Lee. Early Blockley results included 5 metres at 1.26% copper from 78 metres and 11 metres at 1.01% copper from 58 metres, but the company said continuity and structural controls will be refined once the remaining results arrive. BOA also said shareholder approval received on 12 October cleared a key step towards acquiring the remaining 51% of Neds Creek and 100% of the Thaduna and Green Dragon copper deposits. Completion remains subject to confirmation that the outstanding conditions precedent have been satisfied. BOA currently owns 49% of Neds Creek and operates the project. The immediate investment test is therefore twofold: whether RC drilling can show that Rooneys’ widely spaced aircore hits form coherent mineralised zones, and whether the remaining assays continue the strength seen at Ricci Lee and in the first Blockley results. Until those questions are answered, the expanding strike is an exploration opportunity rather than a defined copper inventory. Rooneys has become a larger and more complex drill target, but RC drilling and pending assays must convert encouraging intersections into demonstrated continuity.Acquisition completion adds a second near-term milestone
Bottom Line?
Questions in the middle?
Sources