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TechGen Metals Limited is a paid sponsor of Rock Report. This article should be consumed as entertainment and not as financial advice. Information may be incorrect or misleading and should be considered speculative
Two high-priority IP chargeability targets, MB1 and MB2, have been identified within the Northern Star Cu-Au-Sb-Ag soil and rock chip anomaly. MB1 spans 400m x 150m with chargeability over three times background and aligns with a resistivity low. Although untested by drilling, MB1 hosts 13 rock chip samples exceeding 1% copper, peaking at 10.5%. MB2, also untested, shows similar geophysical characteristics and is closely linked to the highest recorded rock chip values in the area, including 32.6% Cu, 48.8 g/t Au, and 3.92% Sb. The anomaly area features quartz veining, breccias, malachite-rich gossans, and a major NE-SW fault zone.
What is a gossan, and why is it geologically important? Also, why do majors like them?
Gossans are usually exposed at the surface, that appear rusty brown in colour resulting from weathering and oxidation of primary sulphide minerals. They are essentially the exposed, weathered top of a sulfide ore body or vein. Gossans are very important indicators of potential subsurface ore deposits not only for major companies but all early stage exploration, especially when bearing economic sufides like copper, lead and zinc etc. Once a gossan is discovered and economic minerals are present, next stages of exploration is often ground based geophysics like we have done at Mt Boggola, with the discovery the MB1 and MB2 targets through Induced Polarisation geophysics (IP). Importantly, both targets do have gossans located above them.
What is the size of this major anomaly?
The MB1 target at Mt Boggola is approximately 300m long and 100m wide, the depth is 200m+
Next steps for the program with the results in hand?
A heritage survey is being planned and a Program of Work for RC drilling.
There seems to be a wide range of metals in the grab samples, Lead, Iron, etc, but one that sticks out is the antimony. With current prices sky high and scarcity of steady supply, how does this influence your view on the project?
The key and main ingredients in the soil and rock gossan geochemistry is copper and gold, however antimony as you highlight is certainty in the mix with some nice high grade rocks samples going over 4%. Any polymetallic discovery adds value with additional credits, and antimony would be an exceptionally profitable one to have now if a discovery was made given the global impacts with trade restrictions out of China largely due to its use in military and computer chips.
