Buxton Resources has kicked off Aboriginal heritage surveys at its 100 per cent-owned greenfield Centurion prospect in Central Australia as it seeks clearance to fuel its aim to discover a significant iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposit at the site.
The critical surveys are being carried out by members of the Parna Ngururrpa and Ngurra Kayanta traditional owner groups that hold the cultural authority over the land. Buxton says it is expediting the process by using a helicopter to inspect its drill sites and 50km of access tracks and expects to receive results and guidance in the next six weeks.
In November last year, management established heritage protection agreements with the local Aboriginal corporations, in addition to securing permits from the Aboriginal Lands Trust, to ensure compliance with statutory requirements to access the project area.
The company has also been awarded a WA Government exploration incentive scheme (EIS) grant that will offset up to $220,000 worth of the costs associated with the planned maiden drillhole program.
Buxton Resources chief executive officer Martin Moloney said: “Buxton is dedicated to fostering relationships and establishing the groundwork for our social license to operate at Centurion. We’re making significant strides toward drill-testing this highly-promising target."
The Centurion project is emerging as a compelling greenfield exploration drill target. Recent hits in the neighbouring West Arunta region such as the WA1 Resources and Encounter Resources niobium discoveries have underscored the area's potential for tier-one finds.
The project is in the Great Sandy Desert between Kiwirrkurra and Balgo and spans some 80 square kilometres. It features a distinct magnetic and gravity anomaly pattern indicative of IOCG deposits.
The principal target spans 3500m by 5000m, with substantial magnetic and gravity readings. Although previous drilling encountered difficulties, the indications are now promising, suggesting the presence of a hydrothermal system consistent with the IOCG model.
The biggest IOCG discovery is BHP’s renowned Olympic Dam mine, 560km north of Adelaide in South Australia, which contains 2.95 billion tonnes of high-grade copper, gold and uranium. It is understood to be the fourth-biggest copper deposit and biggest uranium lode in the world.
IOCG deposits tend to be big with easily-treatable ore, making them a highly sought-after exploration target.
Buxton is also pushing on with a series of other exploration drilling programs across WA, with a significant focus on its Graphite Bull project in the State’s Gascoyne region. A new diamond drill program that is underway has been designed to explore deep geophysical targets in the hope of expanding the company’s existing resource numbers that sit at 4 million tonnes running at 16.2 per cent total graphitic carbon (TGC).
In addition to its domestic initiatives, management is also advancing its Copper Wolf porphyry copper-molybdenum project in the United States that sits 80km north of Phoenix in the State of Arizona. That effort is being funded by its joint venture (JV) partner Independence Gold.
The region around Phoenix is widely considered one of the premier copper districts globally. Recent significant drill intersections of copper-molybdenum suggest the company may be onto a noteworthy porphyry discovery.
With three current drilling programs underway and a further seven greenfield prospects in the pipeline, Buxton has an extremely busy time ahead and the news flow is likely to come thick and fast.
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By James Pearson
