Taruga Minerals Confirms 2.33% Copper at Kol Mountain
Key Takeaways
- A skarn float sample at the western edge of the Agadul Porphyry returned 2.33% Cu, 9.4 g/t Ag and 0.22 g/t Au, with far more copper than historical samples taken 50m away.
- Northern Agadul, 4km from the main anomaly, is a new copper-molybdenum zone showing metal zoning over about 250m that the company calls typical of outer porphyry systems.
- Rock chips returned 288ppm to 2.331% Cu against a 200ppm threshold, suggesting the 4.8km undrilled soil anomaly may extend further.
- These are early, selective reconnaissance samples from access routes, and the zoning interpretation still needs confirmation by mapping and sampling.
- Taruga is targeting drill-ready targets for 2027 but has not confirmed a drilling date, with trench and channel assays still to be reported.
Northern Agadul assays confirm copper-molybdenum at Kol Mountain
Taruga Minerals has reported assays from 38 samples (18 float, 15 outcrop and 5 channel) at its 100%-optioned Kol Mountain Copper Gold Project in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The results include copper-molybdenum mineralisation at a new target area called Northern Agadul.
The best result came from skarn float sample 702105, which returned 2.33% Cu, 9.4 g/t Ag and 0.22 g/t Au. Outcrop sample 702110 returned 0.11% Cu and 4.3ppm Mo, while gossanous outcrop sample 702126 returned 0.39 g/t Au.
For you as an investor, the results add a new follow-up area while supporting the central Agadul Porphyry soil anomaly as the priority drill target area. Samples were collected along access routes, so these are early reconnaissance results.
Paul Cronin, Chairman, Taruga Minerals
“We have copper at surface along the access corridor, and a 2.33% copper float skarn collected on the Western edge of the Agadul Porphyry…”
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Results from the access corridor and porphyry margin
New copper-molybdenum zone at Northern Agadul
Northern Agadul sits approximately 4km north-northwest of the Agadul Porphyry anomaly. Samples were collected along a major northwest-trending fault zone and an unconformity contact between volcanic sediments and limestone.
Multi-element results show copper and molybdenum grading outward to zinc, lead, manganese and gold-silver over about 250m. That is a metal zoning pattern typical of the outer parts of porphyry copper systems, although the source describes the interpretation as preliminary and requiring confirmation by further mapping and sampling.
Northern Agadul is an SGC Priority 3 target, previously ranked solely on structural and lithological setting. The sulphide- and magnetite-rich breccias with copper and molybdenum are the first surface evidence of hydrothermal mineralisation there, and geochemical results from follow-up field work will be considered in the re-ranking of these targets.
Porphyry margin extension potential
Rock chip samples west and north-west of the central Agadul Porphyry copper soil anomaly returned between 288ppm and 2.331% Cu. The anomaly threshold is 200ppm Cu, which indicates copper mineralisation may extend beyond its currently defined limits.
Sample 702105 was taken approximately 50m from historical samples. Compared with them it carries considerably more copper but less gold and silver, indicating the skarn potentially hosts copper-rich zones in addition to the gold-silver-rich mineralisation identified historically.
| Sample ID | Type | Cu (%) | Au (g/t) | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 702105 | Float | 2.33 | 0.22 | Magnetite skarn, Trace Cpy, 15% Py |
| 702103 | Outcrop | 0.12 | 0.02 | Diorite with K-feldspar vein, trace azurite |
| 702110 | Outcrop | 0.11 | 0.04 | Sheared breccia, 3% Py, 0.5% Cpy |
| 702109 | Outcrop | 0.09 | 0.07 | Sheared breccia, Trace Cpy, 15% Py |
| 702126 | Outcrop | 0.02 | 0.39 | Gossanous breccia, trace Py-Cpy |
Py = pyrite, Cpy = chalcopyrite; sulphide percentages are field visual estimates. Rock chip float or outcrop samples are selective and not necessarily representative of an average grade.
What porphyry metal zoning means for investors
A porphyry copper system is a large mineralised system formed around an intrusion of molten rock. The company describes the zoning pattern at Northern Agadul as typical of the outer parts of such systems, with copper and molybdenum grading outward to zinc, lead, manganese and gold-silver.
The source says the association of copper with molybdenum, abundant magnetite and sulphides, and a zoned metal pattern are features typically associated with intrusion-related mineralisation and may indicate an intrusive source in the area.
Keep the caution in view. These are early-stage rock chip results, not a resource, and the zoning interpretation still requires confirmation.
Agadul targets and historical gold backdrop
Southern Geoscience Consultants (SGC) completed a study in May 2026 covering EL2513 (123km²). It identified 25 exploration targets, seven of them ranked high priority, with the Agadul Porphyry anomaly and Agadul Shear Zone the highest ranked in the northern portion of the tenement.
The Agadul Porphyry target is overlain by a 4.8km copper soil anomaly (200ppm Cu) and the area has never been drill tested. That matters because the anomaly’s size is based on soil and rock sampling alone.
Field crews have also accessed the high-grade gold zone at Agadul Shear, and found historic trenches and drill core which may be re-assayed as part of a multi-element suite analysis. Three historic holes by CRA (Rio Tinto) in 1989 returned:
- DD89BU1: 6m @ 2.2 g/t Au from 36m
- DD89BU2: 2m @ 3.5 g/t Au from 153m
- DD89BU3: 10m @ 1.6 g/t Au from 60m
Historical rock chips at the Agadul Shear and Skarn Zone include 63.5 g/t Au (sample 24077). All historical intercepts are downhole lengths, true width is not known, and results are not JORC 2012 compliant. Historical rock chips are selective samples.
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Next steps toward 2027 drill targets
The company outlined the following work:
- Report trench and channel sampling results from the Agadul Porphyry and Agadul Shear Zone as assays are received.
- Follow up the new copper-molybdenum zone at Northern Agadul with mapping and trench sampling.
- Progress prospect scale 3D inversion modelling of magnetics to refine target geometry.
- Compile results to prioritise drill targets across Agadul and the broader tenement.
Chairman Paul Cronin said the company will “…continue to push our exploration efforts as we prioritise potential drill targets for 2027”. The announcement does not confirm a drilling date.
Samples from an extended field campaign, including trench, channel, rock and stream sediment assays, have been sent for lab assay. Chairman Paul Cronin and Non-Executive Director Eric De Mori were Co-Founders of Adriatic Metals Ltd, which was sold in 2025 for A$1.5b to Dundee Precious Metals.
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