Tarrina Uncovers Zinc and Copper Zones Up to 30m Wide at Christmas Gift
Key Takeaways
- Phase 1 diamond drilling at Christmas Gift returned zinc grades up to 1.65% Zn and copper up to 0.23% Cu across zones up to 30 metres wide, with 18 historic holes showing similar anomalous base metal results.
- The zinc and copper mineralisation appears to represent a VMS-style system — a fundamentally different deposit type to the orogenic lode gold already identified — giving Tarrina dual-commodity exposure at a single project.
- High-grade gold results from the same program remain compelling, including a 0.5m intercept at 42.26 g/t Au to end-of-hole in CGDH002, with only two holes ever drilled deeper than 150m at Christmas Gift.
- The northern tenement (EL9683) presents a fresh, untested VMS target where prospective geology coincides with recent soil zinc and copper anomalies — no drilling has tested this area yet.
- Tarrina's next steps include reinterpreting geology under a VMS mineral system model, field-checking soil anomalies, and progressing toward pattern RC drilling and a maiden JORC gold resource.
Tarrina uncovers zinc and copper potential at Christmas Gift gold project
Tarrina Resources (ASX: TR8) has reported highly anomalous zinc and copper assays from Phase 1 diamond drilling at the Christmas Gift Gold Project in southern NSW’s Lachlan Fold Belt. The results point to previously unrecognised VMS-style mineralisation sitting alongside the known gold system — adding a second, distinct mineralisation style to the flagship project.
Zinc and copper zones up to 30m wide returned grades up to 1.65% Zn and up to 0.23% Cu. The base metal intersections appear in holes CGDH001, CGDH001A, CGDH002, CGDH004 and CGDH005, alongside 18 historic drill holes that returned similar anomalous zinc and copper. This builds on recently reported high-grade gold results, expanding the opportunity beyond gold alone.
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What the Phase 1 drilling revealed
The Phase 1 drilling intersected both high-grade orogenic lode-style gold and the new zinc/copper signal. Standout gold intersections demonstrate the potential for a high-grade gold system at Christmas Gift, with significant scope for extensions along strike and at depth.
| Hole | Interval (m) | From (m) | Grade (Au g/t) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CGDH001 | 14.5 | 58.0 | 2.23 | — |
| CGDH001 | 16.4 | 75.6 | 2.06 | — |
| CGDH002 | 5.1 | 36.9 | 2.39 | — |
| CGDH002 | 4.6 | 42.9 | 5.42 | — |
| CGDH002 | 0.5 | 68.6 | 42.26 | To EOH |
| CGDH001A | 7.6 | 85.4 | 0.89 | — |
Base metal highlights from the Phase 1 drilling include:
- Zones up to 30m wide
- Zinc grades up to 1.65% Zn
- Copper grades up to 0.23% Cu
- 18 historic drill holes also returned similar anomalous zinc and copper
- Zinc and copper at the mine associated with gold up to 70.4 g/t Au
The western intersections are wider and contain higher-grade zinc and copper relative to gold. Christmas Gift mine intersections carry higher gold grades. The source announcement states the semi-massive sulphides “appear to pre-date gold mineralisation and may represent exhalative sulphides” deposited contemporaneously with the volcanic host rocks.
What is VMS mineralisation and why it matters
VMS (Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide) deposits form through ancient seafloor volcanic and hydrothermal activity. They typically carry zinc, copper, lead and silver in stratified lenses within volcanic host rocks. This is a fundamentally different system to orogenic lode-style gold, which is structurally controlled and forms during mountain-building events.
At Christmas Gift, the host and footwall rocks are volcanic types commonly associated with VMS mineralisation elsewhere in the Lachlan Fold Belt. The announcement confirms the geology comprises andesite and dacite tuffs, mudstone, and mafic tuff — lithologies that elsewhere in the belt host economic VMS deposits. What you have here is the potential for two different commodity systems stacked at a single project.
The investment implication is material. A VMS discovery would give Tarrina a second commodity opportunity — polymetallic exposure (zinc, copper, potentially lead and silver) on top of gold — at its flagship asset. That is dual-style upside from a single exploration program. The source announcement is explicit: there is “real but still unproven VMS potential” in the Christmas Gift project area. This remains a target, not a resource.
The investment case — two targets in one project
The announcement strengthens the Tarrina investment thesis by establishing dual-style upside at the flagship asset. The company now has a high-grade gold system with demonstrated continuity and a parallel VMS target that opens exposure to base metals.
The northern tenement (EL9683) presents a particularly compelling opportunity. Prospective geology coincides with recent soil zinc and copper anomalies, creating a fresh, untested target area. Christmas Gift sits within the Lachlan Fold Belt near major operating mines. Only two holes have ever been drilled deeper than 150m, and both intersected gold mineralisation. That tells you the depth potential at Christmas Gift remains largely untested.
Francis De Souza, Chairman, Tarrina Resources
“The zinc and copper results from the Phase 1 drilling program at Christmas Gift have added another string to our bow at Christmas Gift system, providing evidence for previously unrecognised VMS style zinc and copper mineralisation on top of the considerable gold potential. The presence of zinc and copper presents another exciting opportunity for the Company to make a new VMS discovery at the Christmas Gift project, particularly in the underexplored northern tenement where the prospective geology and recent soil zinc and copper anomalies coincide.”
Historic high-grade gold intersections provide further context for the scale of the gold system:
- 13.0m at 13.20 g/t Au from 68m (DDH076)
- 8.0m at 17.23 g/t Au from 12m (FRB012)
- 9.0m at 11.54 g/t Au from 46m (DDHC007)
The VMS opportunity remains unproven but geologically supported. The dual-target framework places Tarrina in a position where success on either front — gold resource definition or VMS discovery — materially advances the project value.
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What comes next for Tarrina
The roadmap centres on advancing toward a maiden JORC gold resource whilst systematically developing the VMS target. The approach integrates soil, drill, and 3D geology data in a cost-effective exploration sequence.
Planned activities at the Christmas Gift Gold Project include:
- Complete detailed core logging to define the base metal and gold relationship
- Update 2D and 3D geological and gold grade models
- Field-check soil anomalies and plan follow-up drill targets
- Reinterpret geology using a VMS mineral system model to define geophysical and drill targets
- Plan follow-up air-core and RC drilling between Christmas Gift and Cullinga Extended
- Progress toward pattern RC resource drilling and a maiden JORC gold resource
Separately, Tarrina is advancing its Walparuta project in South Australia through geological studies, geochemistry, geophysics and planned drilling. Soil sampling and extension IP acquisition is progressing, with results from both programs expected to be finalised by the end of September.
Tarrina is now advancing a dual-commodity opportunity at its flagship project. The VMS potential remains unproven, but the geological framework and initial assay results establish a legitimate second target style. What comes next determines whether this potential converts into a material discovery.
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