Venus spots new WA copper-gold targets at Copper Hills

Venus Metals Corporation has lit up significant new gravity responses in ground surveys at its Copper Hills project within Western Australia’s Paterson Orogen, boosting its potential for copper-gold and base metal mineralisation.

The company says the survey, together with historic airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data, has contributed to unearthing several soil-covered anomalies, which 3D inversion modelling then confirmed as discrete geological targets at relatively shallow depths of about 150m.

The ground gravity surveys uncovered three noteworthy responses. Two of the responses aligned with magnetic anomalies (known as Anomaly 2 and 3) – the second with a 500m-by-300m magnetic trend –while a third (Anomaly 4) corresponded with an historical AEM anomaly.

The anomalies are seen as prime candidates for further exploration for copper, gold and base metals, especially given known copper occurrences within the tenement.

The Copper Hills project lies in the southern sector of the Paterson Orogen, an area known for its rich mineral deposits that include the massive Winu copper-gold project hosting 2.4 million tonnes of copper and 5.8 million ounces of gold and the Havieron discovery with 5.6 million ounces of gold. Additionally, Newmont’s giant Telfer gold mine sits less than 100km to the north of Venus’ tenements.

While much of the northern Paterson Orogen has been extensively explored, the southern region remains largely untapped, making the recent findings at Copper Hills particularly significant for future discovery opportunities.

Historic data has identified several other prospects within the tenement, including the PM target where secondary copper minerals have been reported across more than 2km of surface outcrop. Recent geophysical reviews have pointed to several untested magnetic and AEM anomalies that are now targeted for follow-up exploration.

Venus enlisted Atlas Geophysics to carry out the survey, covering four blocks with a total of 464 stations. The work focused on identifying the likelihood of volcanic rock types, which could elevate the prospectivity for mineral deposits.

With the significant gravity responses now confirmed, management is rapidly pushing forward with its exploration activities at the site, including a follow-up induced-polarisation (IP) survey to further investigate the potential presence of sulphides – an important indicator of mineral deposits – before moving towards drill-testing.

The Paterson Oregen has witnessed some extraordinary discoveries during the past decade, mainly due to the significant advancement in exploration technology to cost-effectively cover vast tracts of land, while also being able to spy on what treasures may lie beneath before having to even put a single drillhole in the ground.

With that in mind, making big discoveries is no longer the sole purview of just the giant mining companies. Venus has grabbed some underexplored elephant country, now all it needs to do is find the elephant.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@wanews.com.au