Kantra Copper Readies Five-Hole Drill Test at Firehawk Near Adelaide in 2027
Key Takeaways
- Kantra Copper has turned its Firehawk Prospect, 80km from Adelaide, from a regional concept into a drill-ready target using coincident magnetic, gravity and IP anomalies.
- A conceptual five-hole program is targeted for H1 2027, including a four-hole Southern Firehawk line, on ground that has never been drilled.
- The drilling tests a concealed Delamerian porphyry Cu±Mo±Au system but also skarn, structural sulphide and barren alternatives, so this is a hypothesis, not a discovery.
- Kantra owns EL 6294 at 100%, giving it a wholly owned growth option alongside the flagship Kanmantoo Copper Mine.
- No budget or funding is disclosed for Firehawk, while assays from the completed two-hole Kanappa program are the nearer-term catalyst.
Firehawk geophysics defines copper drill target near Adelaide
A new copper drill target has taken shape roughly 80km from Adelaide. Kantra Copper Limited (ASX:KAN) announced on 14 October 2026 that integrated airborne magnetic, gravity and induced polarisation (IP) surveys have refined a regional anomaly at its Firehawk Prospect, within Exploration Licence (EL) 6294, into a drill-ready exploration target.
The surveys defined a coincident magnetic and gravity anomaly adjacent to an IP response, a target for concealed copper (Cu) ± molybdenum (Mo) ± gold (Au) mineralisation beneath shallow cover. Kantra has designed a five-hole conceptual drilling program, with drilling targeted for H1 2027.
For you as an investor, this moves Firehawk from a concept to a defined drill target. It also gives Kantra a second project to advance alongside its flagship Kanmantoo Copper Mine.
Bob Fulker, CEO and Managing Director
“The integration of magnetic, gravity and IP datasets has transformed Firehawk from a regional concept into a well-defined drill target…”
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How the surveys refined the target
Firehawk was first identified from a regional-scale magnetic anomaly, interpreted to potentially represent felsic intrusive rocks (igneous rocks rich in silica). Kantra then completed further surveys that refined the target into discrete zones of coincident geophysical anomalism.
Three datasets, one target
The survey work, as set out in the JORC Table 1 (the standard disclosure checklist for exploration results), covered three methods:
- UAV magnetics: 40m line spacing over the entire prospect, completed in November 2025
- Gravity: reconnaissance work in July/August 2025, then a grid at ~100m line spacing in March 2026
- Pole-dipole IP: reconnaissance work in October/November 2025, then a grid at ~250-350m line spacing in April 2026
Both the sub-contractors and consultant geophysicist Russell Mortimer verified the gravity, UAV magnetic and IP data.
| Survey | Contractor | Timing | Spacing | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAV magnetics | Pegasus Airborne Systems | November 2025 | 40m line spacing | Entire prospect |
| Gravity | Daishsat Geodetic Surveyors | July/August 2025 | ~50m station spacing | Reconnaissance |
| Gravity | Daishsat Geodetic Surveyors | March 2026 | ~100m line spacing, ~50m station spacing | Prospect/target scale |
| Pole-dipole IP | Australian Geophysical Services | October/November 2025 | 100m RX/TX dipole spacing, 50m RX/TX offset | Reconnaissance |
| Pole-dipole IP | Australian Geophysical Services | April 2026 | ~250-350m line spacing, 50m RX/TX dipole spacing | Prospect/target scale |
What are magnetic, gravity and IP surveys?
Magnetic surveys measure variations in the magnetic field caused by different rock types. Gravity surveys measure small changes in gravitational pull, which can point to denser or lighter rock below the surface. IP surveys send an electrical current into the ground and measure how rocks respond to it.
When several methods point to the same area, the case for drilling is stronger. Still, geophysics only shows that something is different underground. Drilling is needed to confirm what is causing the responses.
Kantra’s primary hypothesis is a concealed Delamerian porphyry Cu±Mo±Au system. That is a hypothesis to be tested, not a discovery.
Five-hole drill program: what Kantra will test
The program is designed to test whether the coincident magnetic, gravity, IP and data-driven prospectivity responses represent a concealed Delamerian porphyry Cu±Mo±Au system. It will also test alternative interpretations, including Cu–Au skarn, structurally controlled sulphide mineralisation and non-mineralised geological sources.
That balance matters. The program is built to find out what the anomalies actually are, whatever the answer turns out to be.
The principal geoscientific objectives are:
- Determine the lithology responsible for the geophysical responses, and identify any intrusive rocks, hydrothermal alteration and mineralisation
- Establish the basement stratigraphy and structural architecture
- Constrain the existing geophysical models using direct geological observations
The proposed Southern Firehawk drill line comprises 4 holes. No previous drilling has been completed at the Firehawk prospect, and no drilling results are reported in this release.
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Timeline and wider strategy
Drilling is currently planned for H1 2027 to accommodate the local farming cycle. Land surrounding the prospect is used for grazing and cropping, and Kantra has engaged with the landowners. Kantra owns EL 6294 at 100%.
A near-term item to watch is the Kanappa Prospect, where a two-hole drilling program has recently been completed and assay results are pending. The announcement discloses no results.
Together, Firehawk and Kanappa form part of Kantra’s broader regional exploration strategy aimed at identifying additional sources of long-term copper growth and development optionality to complement the flagship Kanmantoo Copper Mine.
The next step is geological interpretation and analysis of the critical geophysical results and inversion outcomes, which will be used to generate drilling targets. The announcement does not disclose a budget, costs or funding for the program.
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