Tarrina Resources Maps 5km Copper-Gold System With 23 Drill Holes Planned
Key Takeaways
- Soil sampling at Walparuta has defined five geochemically fertile IOCG target zones with continuous anomalies over 2–5 km strike, with peak values of 2,891 ppm Cu and 466 ppb Au substantially exceeding the 70 ppm Cu and 14 ppb Au anomaly thresholds tied to known bedrock mineralisation.
- Surface geochemistry directly overlaps with previously mapped magnetic and chargeability anomalies at depth, materially de-risking 23 planned high-priority drill holes targeting a 4 km corridor to 1,200 m — well beyond the 230 m maximum depth of all historical drilling at the project.
- Historical drilling at Walparuta has already returned economic-grade intercepts including 36.6 m @ 0.37% Cu and 0.27 g/t Au, validating the system's near-surface prospectivity before the deeper campaign begins.
- A PACE Minerals Grant application has been submitted to the SA Government, which if successful would fund 50% of the planned drilling programme up to $350,000, reducing shareholder capital exposure.
- The Walparuta project sits in the Curnamona Province alongside regional analogues including Havilah Resources' Kalkaroo deposit (1.1 Mt Cu, 3.1 Moz Au), establishing the geological benchmark the programme is being measured against.
Soil sampling defines multi-kilometre copper-gold system at Walparuta
Tarrina Resources (ASX: TR8) has completed a soil sampling programme at its Walparuta Project in South Australia that has successfully mapped an extensive Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) system across a multi-kilometre footprint. The programme defined five geochemically fertile IOCG target zones, continuous from line to line over 2–5 km strike, with 23 high-priority drill holes planned to test a 4 km corridor of anomalous corridors to a depth of 1,200 m.
Peak geochemical values of 2,891 ppm Cu and 466 ppb Au were recorded across the survey lines, confirming the presence of near-surface bedrock mineralisation coincident with the known magnetic and chargeability anomalies. This is the confirmation step before discovery drilling, not a resource declaration, but the alignment of surface geochemistry with depth geophysics materially de-risks the targets ahead of the planned campaign.
Chairman Francis DeSouza
“The Walparuta soil sampling program has confirmed the presence of a kilometre-scale, fertile IOCG system with potential zones of copper and gold mineralisation related to strong IOCG alteration. The alignment of geochemistry and geophysics is extremely encouraging, and we now have several clear drill targets that will allow us to optimise the planned drilling program planned at the project.”
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Key findings at a glance
- 998 soil samples collected at 20 m spacings along IP survey lines
- 5 fertile IOCG target zones defined, continuous line-to-line over 2–5 km strike
- 23 high-priority drill holes planned; 4 km corridor to be tested to 1,200 m depth
- Peak Cu: 2,891 ppm; peak Au: 466 ppb
- Peak pathfinder metals: Co 488 ppm, U 38 ppm, TREO 986 ppm
- Extension IP survey complete; 6 lines surveyed; 3D modelling underway
- PEPR (Programme for Environment Protection and Rehabilitation) application lodged with the Department of Mines
- PACE Minerals Grant application submitted — if successful, the SA Government grant would fund 50% of the planned drilling programme at Walparuta up to a maximum of $350,000
What is an IOCG system — and why does scale matter?
IOCG stands for Iron Oxide Copper Gold. These are a class of mineral deposit characterised by intense iron-oxide alteration (typically magnetite and/or hematite), elevated copper and gold, and a suite of pathfinder metals including cobalt, uranium, and rare earth elements (REEs). They form from large, deeply rooted hydrothermal systems where iron-rich, oxidised fluids deposited metals over wide areas.
Scale is what distinguishes an economic IOCG from a minor occurrence. When geochemical anomalies are coherent across multiple survey lines at surface, over kilometres of strike, it suggests the hydrothermal system beneath is large and persistent — the kind of architecture capable of hosting significant mineralisation at depth.
Walparuta sits within the Curnamona Province, a geological terrane in South Australia that hosts world-class IOCG analogues. Havilah Resources’ Kalkaroo deposit, located approximately 50–80 km northeast of Walparuta, contains 1.1 Mt Cu, 3.1 Moz Au, and 23.2 kt Co. The Mutooroo deposit, located approximately east of Walparuta in the same province, contains 195 kt Cu, 82.1 koz Au, and 20.2 kt Co. These are the regional benchmarks the Walparuta results are being measured against.
Five fertile target zones — the geochemical case for drilling
The central investment message from the soil programme is that surface geochemistry aligns directly with the magnetic and chargeability anomalies mapped at depth by previous geophysical surveys. That coincidence substantially de-risks the planned drill targets: the anomalies are not isolated surface signals but appear to connect to deeper geophysical features.
The IP survey that identified five untested IOCG targets at Walparuta established the magnetic and chargeability anomaly framework that the soil programme has now confirmed at surface, making the geophysical and geochemical datasets directly complementary.
Five distinct copper-gold corridors have been defined:
- Western magnetic corridor — Cu and Au anomalies over 3 km strike
- Walparuta Mine Breccia corridor — Cu anomalies over 2.6 km strike
- Deeper magnetic anomaly (down-dip from the Breccia) — Cu anomalies over 400 m strike
- Eastern magnetic corridor — Cu and Au anomalies over 1.5 km strike
- New corridor between the Breccia and western magnetic corridor — Cu and Au anomalies over 2.8 km strike, with low magnetic intensity but near-surface chargeability anomalies on the IP lines
The anomaly threshold related to known bedrock copper at the Walparuta mine is 70 ppm Cu and 14 ppb Au. The peak values recorded — 2,891 ppm Cu and 466 ppb Au — substantially exceed those thresholds, illustrating the intensity of the anomalies relative to background.
Pathfinder metals, which are geochemical indicators commonly associated with fertile IOCG systems, were also elevated across the same corridors. The table below summarises the key results.
| Element | Peak Value | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Cu | 2,891 ppm | Exceeds the 70 ppm anomaly threshold; sulphide-bearing bedrock mineralisation confirmed |
| Au | 466 ppb | Exceeds the 14 ppb anomaly threshold; spatially coincident with Cu anomalies |
| Co | 488 ppm | Strong cobalt enrichment typical of IOCG sulphide halos |
| U | 38 ppm | Uranium enrichment consistent with IOCG hydrothermal systems |
| Fe | 9.97% | High Fe correlating with Ti, V, and Mn — classic iron-oxide IOCG signature |
| TREO | 986 ppm | REE enrichment; pXRF provides a minimum approximation of total REEs present |
Strong Cu–Co–Ni–Mo statistical correlations confirm the presence of sulphide-bearing copper and gold mineralisation in the bedrock, overlapping with the magnetic and chargeability intensity anomalies. The distribution of potassium and iron in the soils also points to early potassic alteration overprinted by iron-rich ironstone zones, a sequence consistent with IOCG hydrothermal activity.
The extension IP survey — comprising 6 planned lines, all now surveyed — is currently being reviewed and modelled in 3D. Results will be announced once modelling is complete.
What the historical drilling tells you
Nine historical drill holes have been completed at Walparuta, to a maximum depth of 230 m. These shallow holes returned significant copper-gold intersections that validate the prospectivity of the system at near-surface depths. Representative intercepts include:
- 38.1 m @ 0.26% Cu and 0.31 g/t Au from 15.2 m (including 10.7 m @ 0.41% Cu and 0.46 g/t Au from 16.8 m)
- 36.6 m @ 0.37% Cu and 0.27 g/t Au from 39.6 m (including 9.1 m @ 0.80% Cu and 0.53 g/t Au from 57.9 m)
- 32.0 m @ 0.23% Cu and 0.01 g/t Au from 56.0 m (including 2.0 m @ 0.48% Cu and 0.01 g/t Au from 72.0 m)
These intercepts confirm the system hosts economic-grade mineralisation in its near-surface expression. The planned discovery drill campaign is designed to test deeper and broader extents of the same anomalous corridors, to a depth of 1,200 m — well beyond anything previously drilled at the project.
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Path to drilling — approvals, funding and next steps
The company’s path from current results to a discovery drill campaign follows a defined sequence of technical and regulatory steps:
- 3D modelling of extension IP lines to optimise drill target depths and hole lengths (in progress)
- Petrophysics and rock sample geochemistry review to better define sulphide targets representing higher-grade portions of the mapped anomalies
- PEPR application lodged with the Department of Mines — approval is contingent on Native Title and heritage approvals being agreed
- Native Title Mining Agreement (NTMA) negotiations with NAWNTAC (Ngadjuri Adnyamathanha Wilyakali Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC) to commence once NAWNTAC’s template exploration agreement is finalised; an NTMA is a prerequisite to ground-disturbing exploration on native title land
- Aboriginal heritage clearance survey required under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 (SA)
- PACE Minerals Grant outcome — if the application is successful, the SA Government grant is expected to fund 50% of the planned drilling programme up to $350,000, materially reducing the cost for shareholders
- Discovery drill campaign to commence once all approvals are received
On the Native Title process, Tarrina has notified NAWNTAC of its work programme and is committed to engaging on a respectful and mutually beneficial basis. The company has advised there is no certainty as to the timing on which a template agreement will be finalised, or as to the timing or terms on which an NTMA may ultimately be concluded, and it will update shareholders as matters progress.
Tarrina Resources (ASX: TR8) is an Australian mineral exploration company with projects in New South Wales and South Australia targeting gold, copper, silver, and REEs. The Walparuta IOCG Project in South Australia is one of the company’s projects.
Tarrina is simultaneously advancing high-grade gold at Christmas Gift in New South Wales, where surface sampling confirmed mineralisation extending beyond historic workings across a 1 km strike, adding a second discovery-stage asset to the company’s portfolio alongside Walparuta.
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