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Highlights
- Orion Minerals confirms 24.95 metres at 4.14% copper at Flat Mine South.
- Drilling confirms the continuation of high-grade copper in a structurally uplifted area.
- The company holds significant land in the historic Okiep Copper Project district.
Orion Minerals Ltd (ASX:ORN) has delivered promising final assay results from the first drill hole at Flat Mine South, part of its Okiep Copper Project (OCP) in the Northern Cape, South Africa. The company reported an impressive intersection of 24.95 metres at 4.14% copper from a depth of 567 metres, reaffirming the continuation of high-grade copper mineralisation in this area.
Confirmation of Historical Copper Results
This drilling result is significant as it confirms that the copper mineralisation continues within a fault block, enhancing Orion’s confidence in the Flat Mine South area. The assays demonstrate the presence of 24.95 metres of high-grade copper within a larger 59-metre section grading at 3.14% copper. This outcome supports the company's ongoing drilling efforts to explore and expand the resource potential at the OCP.
The drilling tested a block of structurally uplifted, high-grade copper mineralisation and successfully confirmed the down-dip continuity. Orion Minerals is steadily building on previous results, further validating historical data and strengthening the foundation for future development at Flat Mine South.
Ongoing Drilling and Exploration at Flat Mine South
Drilling at Flat Mine South is set to continue, with the company focusing on deeper down-dip extensions in areas that have not been previously tested. Additionally, Orion is conducting a ground geophysical program in the Flat Mines area to explore other potential geophysical targets.
These efforts are part of the broader Okiep Copper Project, where Orion Minerals holds a significant ground position of 703 square kilometres. The project covers most of the Okiep copper mining district, a historically rich copper region that has produced a total of 105 million tonnes of copper over the past century, with 77 million tonnes coming from the OCP mining rights.
Prospects for Further Resource Expansion
Orion Minerals' drilling efforts at Flat Mine South also tap into historical data from the 1980s and 1990s, when Newmont and Goldfields of South Africa (GFSA) conducted drilling in the area. The historical information has helped Orion update its mineral resource estimates for the Flat Mines deposits, which now stand at 9.3 million tonnes at 1.3% copper. The resource includes 3.4 million tonnes at 1.4% copper at Flat Mine South, of which 2.6 million tonnes are classified as an indicated resource.
The ongoing drilling program at Flat Mine South, along with geophysical testing, signals that Orion Minerals is well-positioned to explore further extensions and maximise the resource potential in the Okiep district.
