Middle Island Resources Confirms Two Large Copper Targets in Serbia With Drilling Ahead
Key Takeaways
- Two substantial copper anomalies confirmed at Priboj: Jelaca returned a 900m x up to 400m core +200ppm Cu soil anomaly with rock chip highs of 3.21% Cu and 26.0g/t Ag, while Oglavak, 2.5km to the west, returned a 600m x up to 400m anomaly peaking at 1,614ppm Cu.
- No prior modern exploration has been recorded across the Priboj Project area, meaning MDI is working genuinely fresh ground in Serbia's Western Tethyan Mineral Province — the same geological address as Zijin Mining's Cukaru Peki deposit (22.6Mt Cu / 17.1Moz Au).
- An initial RC drilling program has been designed at Jelaca to test for VMS-style copper mineralisation beneath the soil anomaly, with commencement subject to land access approval that is currently progressing.
- The Lunicki area has returned early-stage gold assays of 7–13ppb Au alongside copper anomalism, adding a multi-metal dimension to the broader Priboj exploration story.
- MDI has a pipeline of pending assay results across three additional project areas — Bobija, Priboj EL, and Brodica — providing multiple near-term catalysts beyond the current announcement.
Large-scale copper anomalies confirmed at Priboj Project
Middle Island Resources (ASX:MDI) has received soil and rock chip assay results from its Priboj Project in Serbia, confirming two large-scale copper targets at the Jelaca and Oglavak prospects. The results come from a previously unexplored area, with no prior modern exploration recorded across the Priboj Project.
Both anomalies are substantial in scale. Jelaca has returned a core +200ppm Cu soil anomaly measuring 900m x up to 400m, with assays up to 862ppm Cu and rock chip highs of 3.21% Cu and 26.0g/t Ag. Oglavak, located 2.5km to the west, has returned a 600m x up to 400m anomaly with peak assays of 1,614ppm Cu. An initial RC drilling program has been designed at Jelaca, with commencement subject to land access approval that is progressing.
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Exploration results across Jelaca, Oglavak and Lunicki
Jelaca — expanded copper footprint backed by rock chip highs
The Jelaca infill soil program comprised 77 samples across seven north-south lines on a 50m x 50m grid. This defined a core +200ppm Cu anomaly extending over 900m x up to 400m, reinforcing the previously identified copper-in-soil anomalism at the prospect.
Concurrent with soil sampling, 15 additional rock chip samples were collected across the Jelaca area. Samples returned altered and variably weathered copper-mineralised basalt, consistent with a volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) exploration model. The top results from Appendix 2, Table 1 of the announcement are:
- K9867: 32,100ppm Cu (3.21% Cu) / 26.0g/t Ag (outcrop)
- K9887: 22,000ppm Cu (2.20% Cu) / 8.50g/t Ag (float)
- K9888: 17,200ppm Cu (1.72% Cu) / 2.02g/t Ag (outcrop)
- K9884: 13,600ppm Cu (1.36% Cu) / 0.90g/t Ag (float)
- K9886: 7,721ppm Cu (0.77% Cu) / 2.24g/t Ag (outcrop)
It is worth noting that prior rock chip results at Jelaca, reported in MDI’s ASX release dated 19 January 2026, included assays up to 10.3% Cu. Those figures are not new results from this announcement.
Oglavak — high-tenor soil anomaly at a key geological boundary
The Oglavak infill program comprised 115 samples across ten north-south lines, also on a 50m x 50m grid. The program defined a core +200ppm Cu anomaly measuring 600m x up to 400m, sitting within a larger zone of +100ppm Cu anomalism, with peak infill assays of 1,614ppm Cu.
The geological setting adds meaningful context. The Oglavak anomaly sits immediately adjacent to a regional lithological boundary separating diabase units, which host the soil anomaly, from adjacent altered ultramafic rocks (serpentinites). In VMS exploration, these boundary zones between contrasting rock types are often structurally significant.
Lunicki — early-stage gold association adds a new dimension
Two infill soil lines were completed in the Lunicki area, immediately north of the Jermovac licence. The program recorded four assays above 200ppm Cu, with a maximum result of 663ppm Cu warranting follow-up soil sampling.
Five samples on the easternmost sample line also returned gold assays in the range of 7–13ppb Au. While early-stage, this multi-metal signal adds an additional dimension to the broader Priboj exploration story.
Executive Chairman Daniel Raihani
“These latest assay results from the Priboj Project area provide further support for the VMS-style copper exploration model being tested and reinforce the potential of the broader licence area. The identification of an expanded area of outcropping copper-mineralised basalts at the Jelaca Prospect in particular, provides further support for our exploration model and provides evidence of ancient submarine volcanic activity consistent with VMS systems. We will continue to assess the results in the context of our geological models and look forward to updating investors on future exploration plans across the Priboj Project based on the team’s conclusions.”
What is a VMS copper deposit, and why does it matter here?
Volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits are concentrations of copper, zinc, lead, silver, and gold that formed on ancient seafloors through submarine volcanic activity. Hot, metal-rich fluids vented through the seafloor, cooling rapidly and depositing dense sulphide lenses. When these ancient systems are later uplifted and exposed through geological processes, they become targets for modern exploration.
At Jelaca, the outcropping copper-mineralised basalts are significant because they indicate ancient submarine volcanic activity consistent with exactly this type of system. The altered basalt hosting the copper mineralisation is precisely the geological signature that VMS explorers look for at surface before committing to drilling.
The location matters enormously. Serbia’s Western Tethyan Mineral Province is a world-class address for copper and gold, home to Zijin Mining’s Cukaru Peki project (22.6Mt Cu / 17.1Moz Au) and DPM Metals’ Rupice VMS deposit. These are tier-one discoveries in MDI’s immediate geological neighbourhood.
The critical investor consideration here is that no prior modern exploration has been recorded across the Priboj Project area. MDI is working genuinely fresh ground, and the soil and rock chip data now point to drill-ready targets at Jelaca.
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RC drilling program designed — what’s next for MDI
At Jelaca, an initial reverse circulation (RC) drilling program has been designed to test for VMS-style copper mineralisation beneath the 900m x up to 400m soil anomaly. Commencement is subject to land access approval, which is progressing. Infill soil sampling is also proposed across the Jermovac licence, subject to statutory renewal of that licence for its second three-year term.
Beyond Priboj, the company is awaiting assay results across its broader Serbian portfolio:
- Bobija/Bobija East EL (Bobija Project) — soil sampling at the Tisovik silver-lead-zinc target
- Priboj EL (Priboj Project) — rock chip sampling at the Beli Potok gold target
- Brodica EL (Timok Project) — soil sampling at gold targets
The prospect-level results so far are summarised in the table below.
| Prospect | Anomaly Size | Peak Soil Assay | Peak Rock Chip | Next Step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jelaca | 900m x up to 400m | 862ppm Cu | 3.21% Cu / 26.0g/t Ag | RC drilling (land access pending) |
| Oglavak | 600m x up to 400m | 1,614ppm Cu | Not reported in this release | Further assessment |
| Lunicki | Early-stage | 663ppm Cu | — | Follow-up soil sampling |
With multiple results still pending across three project areas, MDI has a clear pipeline of catalysts ahead as it continues to systematically define its Serbian exploration portfolio.
The Tisovik polymetallic discovery has since expanded across a 6km strike length at the Bobija Project, adding further scale to MDI’s Serbian portfolio as the company awaits assay results from the latest soil sampling program there.
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