
October 30, 2024
Brixton Metals Corporation (TSX-V: BBB, OTCQB: BBBXF) (the “Company” or “Brixton”) is pleased to announce additional 2024 drill results from the Trapper Gold Target at its wholly owned Thorn Project. The project is located in Northwest British Columbia, 90km east of Juneau, Alaska.
Highlights
- Hole THN24-308 yielded 61.95m of 1.02 g/t Au from 184.75m depth within 77.25m of 0.9 g/t Au
- Including 9.25m of 4.79 g/t Au
- Including 2.25m of 18.50 g/t Au
- Hole THN24-309 yielded 28.00m of 0.70 g/t Au
- Including 6.00m of 1.24 g/t Au
- Gold occurs as native gold and is associated with base metal veins as galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, quartz-carbonate and pyrite
“We’re pleased with the recent drill results which reveal encouraging gold grades and align well with our exploration model,” stated Vice President of Exploration, Christina Anstey. “These results strengthen our understanding of the mineralization in the area and support our strategy to unlock further potential through continued drilling.”
Figure 1. Gold Geochemistry and Trapper Target Location Map.
Table 1. Select Mineralized Intervals for the Trapper Target Drilling.
All assay values are uncut weighted averages and intervals reflect drilled lengths as further drilling is required to determine the true widths of the mineralization.
Discussion
The 2024 drill campaign at the Trapper Gold Target totaled 2,745.60m of drilling across 11 HQ-sized diamond drill holes of which 762.00m are covered in this release. The program was designed to test the extents and continuity of the main mineralized corridor along the Lawless Fault zone through a combination of infill and step-out drilling. Additional step-out drilling was completed north of the main zone, following-up on undercover mineralized zones that were identified during the 2023 drill program. Drilling was planned through a combination of mapping, oriented core data analysis, geophysics, and soil geochemistry. Additional assays from the 2024 drill campaign will be released as they become available.
Figure 2. Planview Map with Collar Locations and Gold Drill Traces at the Trapper Target.
THN24-308 and THN24-309 were drilled from the same pad location and planned as infill to assess grade continuity between previously released holes THN22-251 and THN22-239 from the 2022 drill campaign. Both holes were successful in intercepting broad intervals of near surface gold mineralization. Hole 308 was drilled at an azimuth of 025 degrees and dip of -46 degrees to a final depth of 353.00m returning 313.00m of 0.44 g/t Au including 61.95m of 1.02 g/t Au and including 9.25m of 4.79 g/t Au. Hole 309 was drilled at a steepened angle below hole 309 at an azimuth of 025 degrees and a dip of -65 degrees to a final depth of 255.00m. Hole 309 returned 156.00m of 0.24 g/t Au including 28.00m of 0.70 g/t Au and including 6.00m of 1.24 g/t Au.
THN24-306 was drilled at an azimuth of 000 degrees and dip of -65 degrees to a final depth of 154.00m and was drilled from the same pad location as previously released hole THN24-304 testing a steeper inclination. The holes were planned as southeastern step-outs along the Lawless Fault to determine the extents of mineralization. Although THN24-304 returned 227.50m of 0.50 g/t Au including 27.00m of 3.49 g/t Au, no significant assays were intercepted in hole 306 which drilled into the footwall of the Lawless Fault at 65m depth. However, based on the broad gold intervals intercepted in hole 304 the potential for future extension to the east remains open along the hanging wall of the main mineralizing structure.
Gold mineralization at Trapper is structurally controlled along the Lawless Fault, trending northwest-southeast and dipping moderately to the north in the main drilling area. There are multiple CVG features (see news release dated October 10th, 2024) that could reflect similar parallel structures to the Lawless Fault which remain open to test for new gold potential. Mineralization appears to favour the contact between the Cretaceous (85.2 +/- 1.2Ma) quartz diorite and the Triassic lapilli tuffs with broad gold intervals largely hosted along the faulted contact. The gold is associated with silver and base metal veins containing pyrite-galena-sphalerite +/- chalcopyrite +/- bornite, which occur conjugate to the Lawless Fault. Through a combination of oriented core drilling, surface mapping, geochemistry and geophysics, the aim is to achieve predictability of the gold-bearing zones. The current drilling at the Trapper Target is located 7km southeast from the Camp Creek Copper Porphyry Target. At surface, the Trapper Target is expressed as a 4km northwest trending gold and zinc soil geochemical anomaly which is part of the larger 11km gold geochemical anomaly trending from Camp Creek to the Trapper Target. Future drilling at the Trapper Target will focus on identifying new zones of gold-bearing mineralization undercover within the footprint of this larger gold geochemical anomaly.
Figure 3. Visible Gold Photographs of THN24-308.
Drilling Information
Table 2. Drill Collar and Hole Information of Current News Release.
About the Trapper Gold Target
The geochemical footprint for the Trapper Gold Target was expanded in 2021 to 4km by 1.5km with a gold-in-soil geochemical signature that has a strong positive correlation to zinc and lead. The Trapper Target represents an intermediate-sulphidation epithermal system hosted in volcanic and intrusive rocks. The volcanics are Triassic Stuhini lapilli tuff, while the intrusive phase is a Cretaceous quartz diorite dated at 85.2Ma +- 1.2Ma. Visible gold has been identified in both drill core and surface outcrops across the Trapper Target area and rock grab samples have returned up to 152 g/t Au. Visible gold is recognized in several environments: within base metal veins (sphalerite-galena-pyrite-chalcopyrite), quartz-stockwork, sulphosalt-pyrite veinlets, and rarely disseminated gold in the diorite. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, Brixton drilled 3,107m, 9,119m and 6,625m, respectively. In 2011, forty-two drill holes were completed by a previous operator. The Trapper Target is royalty free.
Quality Assurance & Quality Control
Quality assurance and quality control protocols for drill core sampling were developed by Brixton. Core samples were mostly taken at 1.0m intervals. Blank, duplicate (lab pulp) and certified reference materials were inserted into the sample stream for at least every 20 drill core samples. Core samples were cut in half, bagged, zip-tied and sent directly to ALS Minerals preparation facility in Langley, British Columbia. ALS Minerals Laboratories is registered to ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 17025 accreditations for laboratory procedures. Samples were analyzed at ALS Laboratory Facilities in North Vancouver, British Columbia for gold by fire assay with an atomic absorption finish, whereas Ag, Pb, Cu and Zn and 48 additional elements were analyzed using four acid digestion with an ICP-MS finish. Over limits for gold were analyzed using fire assay and gravimetric finish. The standards, certified reference materials, were acquired from CDN Resource Laboratories Ltd., of Langley, British Columbia and the standards inserted varied depending on the type and abundance of mineralization visually observed in the primary sample. Blank material used consisted of non-mineralized siliceous landscaping rock. A copy of the QAQC protocols can be viewed at the Company’s website.
About the Thorn Project
The wholly-owned 2,945 square kilometer Thorn Project is located in British Columbia, Canada, approximately 90 km east of Juneau, AK. The southern limit of the Thorn claim boundary is roughly 50 km from tide water. The Thorn Project hosts a district-scale 80km megatrend of Triassic to Eocene, volcano-plutonic complex with several styles of mineralization related to porphyry and epithermal environments. Many large-scale copper-gold targets have been identified for further exploration work. Information on each of the targets may be found at the following link: https://brixtonmetals.com/thorn-gold-copper-silver-project/
Qualified Person
Mr. Corey A. James, P.Geo., is a Senior Project Geologist for the company and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. James has verified the data disclosed in this press release, including the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the technical information and has approved this press release.
About Brixton Metals Corporation
Brixton Metals is a Canadian exploration company focused on the advancement of its mining projects. Brixton wholly owns four exploration projects: Brixton’s flagship Thorn copper-gold-silver-molybdenum Project, the Hog Heaven copper-silver-gold Project in NW Montana, USA, which is optioned to Ivanhoe Electric Inc., the Langis-HudBay silver-cobalt-nickel Project in Ontario and the Atlin Goldfields Project located in northwest BC which is optioned to Eldorado Gold Corporation. Brixton Metals Corporation shares trade on the TSX-V under the ticker symbol BBB, and on the OTCQB under the ticker symbol BBBXF. For more information about Brixton, please visit our website at www.brixtonmetals.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Mr. Gary R. Thompson, Chairman and CEO
For Investor Relations inquiries please contact: Mr. Michael Rapsch, Senior Manager, Investor Relations. email: michael.rapsch@brixtonmetals.com or call Tel: 604-630-9707
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, and “intend”, statements that an action or event “may”, “might”, “could”, “should”, or “will” be taken or occur, including statements that address potential quantity and/or grade of minerals, potential size and expansion of a mineralized zone, proposed timing of exploration and development plans, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mineral exploration; fluctuations in commodity prices; title matters; and the additional risks identified in the annual information form of the Company or other reports and filings with the TSXV and applicable Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are made based on management’s beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.
BBB:CC
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10 March 2020
Brixton Metals
Overview
Brixton Metals Corporation (TSXV:BBB) is a precious metals exploration and development company focused on advancing its wholly-owned projects toward mine development. The company was listed in December of 2010 and now wholly-owns four gold–silver–copper assets in mine-friendly jurisdictions across North America, including the Atlin and Thorn projects in British Columbia, the Langis-Hudson Bay projects in Ontario and the Hog Heaven project in Montana. The company is currently seeking JV partners for one of its projects.
Brixton Metals, as of Q1 2020, now has over $5.5 million in cash to further advance its properties. The company is backed by a number of industry investors, including Eric Sprott, Rob McEwen, US Global, Gold 2000, Pan American Silver (TSX:PAAS,NASDAQ:PAAS) and Hecla Mining (NYSE:HL).
Brixton Metals’ Company Highlights
- An experienced management team with a proven track record of building companies.
- Well-positioned for a sector recovery with four high impact gold-silver and base metal projects in stable jurisdictions.
- Drilling at the Atlin Goldfields project returned up to 5.57m of 509.96 g/t gold. The Yellowjacket target hosts a non-NI-43-101 compliant estimate of 453,500t at 10.26 g/t gold
- Drilling at the Thorn gold-copper-silver project in the Golden Triangle of British Columbia, Canada returned up to 95 meters of 1.71 g/t gold, 628 g/t silver from surface and 554 meters of 2 g/t gold equivalent from 100 meters depth. In 2019 two new porphyrys were discovered.
- Drilling at the Langis-Hudson Bay silver-cobalt project in Ontario returned 6.00 meters of 4,719.33 g/t silver and 0.33 percent cobalt.
- Historic drilling at the Hog Heaven project returned 12 meters of 6 g/t gold, 1,088 g/t silver, 6.5 percent copper. The Hog Heaven hosts a non-NI-43-101 compliant estimate of 47Moz silver and 0.23Moz gold. Hog Heaven is a near term development opportunity.
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Developers of Four Wholly-Owned High-Potential Exploration Projects
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Cobre Secures $25M BHP Investment for Botswana Copper Exploration
Australian mining company Cobre (ASX:CBE) has secured a major investment from BHP, which has agreed to spend $25 million on exploration at Cobre’s Kitlanya projects in Botswana, in exchange for the right to acquire a 75 percent stake, according to a news report from Reuters.
This agreement follows Cobre's participation in BHP's Xplor program in January of the previous year, where Cobre received $500,000 to advance its Kalahari copper projects in Botswana.
Under the terms of the agreement, BHP will provide at least $5 million in funding to Cobre within two years from the commencement date, with an initial exploration budget of $7 million set to begin next month. Cobre's CEO, Adam Woolridge, expressed optimism about the partnership, stating that the collaboration with BHP will enable a technology-driven exploration program aimed at discovering significant deposits in the Kitlanya East and West projects, the Reuters report said.
This strategic move underscores BHP's commitment to expanding its presence in the African copper sector and leveraging advanced exploration techniques to identify potential high-grade copper deposits in Botswana's Kalahari region.
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11 March
BHP to Invest Up to AU$40 Million in Cobre’s Kitlanya East and West Copper Projects
Mining giant BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) is providing up to AU$40 million for exploration work atCobre’s (ASX:CBE) Kitlanya East and West copper projects in Botswana, Cobre said on Monday (March 10).
The funding is under an earn-in agreement between Cobre, other Cobre-owned subsidiaries and a wholly owned subsidiary of BHP. It gives BHP the right to acquire a 75 percent interest in the Kitlanya assets.
The agreement comes after Cobre’s participation in BHP’s Xplor program in 2024. Through Xplor, Cobre received US$500,000 to accelerate its exploration plans for its Kalahari copper projects in Africa.
It also follows the signing of a letter of intent with a BHP subsidiary in September 2024. The companies agreed at the time to negotiate a material earn-in joint venture agreement for Kitlanya East and West.
“This significant transaction with BHP ... is a major moment in time for Cobre as a company as well as a testament to the success of BHP's Xplor program,” said Cobre CEO Adam Woolridge in a press release.
“The partnership with BHP will provide us with the funding and support necessary to implement a technology-driven work program designed to discover the Tier 1 deposits we believe may be hosted in our Kitlanya East and West Projects.”
Cobre acquired Kitlanya East and West through its November 2022 purchase of Kalahari Metals. BHP conducted fixed-wing AEM surveys over much of Kitlanya West’s project area in the late 1990s, but there was little on-site work.
The copper market is reportedly growing in Africa, with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia as its largest producers. Botswana is also recognized as one of the continent's primary producers.
Mobilisation for drilling at Kitlanya West is set to start next month, and will test targets identified in a 2024 seismic program. The plan is to assess the mineral system for components required for tier-one copper deposit formation.
Cobre and BHP's Xplor program
"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with one of the BHP Xplor alumni, Cobre Limited, through this agreement,” said BHP Group Exploration Officer Tim O’Connor in Cobre's release.
“This collaboration reflects our excitement for the exploration potential in Botswana and underscores the high standard of partnerships we see coming out of the BHP Xplor program.”
The Xplor program was introduced by BHP in 2022 as a means of assisting companies in accelerating exploration opportunities and developing new critical minerals sources.
Selected companies receive benefits such as an equity-free grant of up to US$500,000 and access to a network of BHP and external industry experts to build out and accelerate their exploration concepts.
The 2025 BHP Xplor cohort holds the highest number of successful applicants in the program's history at eight companies. Cobre formed part of the 2024 cohort, joining five other companies.
This week's transaction between Cobre and BHP does not involve Cobre's flagship Ngami and Okavango copper projects, which are also located in Botswana. Cobre will continue advancing both assets independently.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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10 March
Gold vs. Copper: Which Metal Will Shine Brighter in 2025?
At the 2025 Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention, the panel “Copper vs. Gold: Which Metal Will Outperform?” tackled the question of which metal holds greater investment potential.
Moderated by Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the discussion brought together industry experts to weigh the risks and rewards of both commodities.
Last year, gold and copper crossed key price milestones, with gold surging past US$2,700 per ounce and copper exceeding US$5 per pound. While gold is primarily seen as a financial safe haven in times of geopolitical uncertainty, copper is an essential industrial metal, increasingly central to resource nationalism and critical mineral security.
For investors, both metals present opportunities, but understanding their distinct market drivers remains crucial.
Gold and copper’s shared influences
Over the past several years, global uncertainty has been fueling an unprecedented run in the gold price.
Among the factors have been high inflation in the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, a three-year war between Russia and Ukraine, conflict between Israel and Gaza that has threatened to spread throughout the Middle East and economic instability sparked by the US under President Donald Trump.
Many of these same issues are impacting the copper market. COVID-19 caused spikes in inflation that have impacted a downturn in real estate development worldwide, while shipping routes have had to be altered to avoid conflict zones. Most recently, US tariffs could upend a variety of industries around the world, including the US housing market.
While these influences largely affect the demand side of commodities, the supply side is also being affected similarly. Most notably, declining grades for both copper and gold are driving up overall mining costs and ultimately eating into corporate balance sheets.
The case for copper
The biggest strength for investors in the copper sector is the supply-and-demand situation.
While copper demand growth has only slightly increased in the past few years, it has been largely held back by weakness in the Chinese real estate sector, which is traditionally one of the largest demand drivers for copper.
Despite this, demand is increasingly coming from rapid urbanization as the global population grows and younger people move to cities from rural areas at higher rates than previous generations. Additionally, demand from the tech sector is also up in several areas, including energy transition, artificial intelligence, and data centers.
Frank Nikolic, vice president of battery and base metals at CRU North America, explained that this demand was critical to copper’s value over the next few years.
“Prior to 1990 we had relatively flat or slow growing intensity of copper use per person on the planet. Then after 1990 when the world opened up with the departure of communism from the global stage, in a big way, we’ve seen the massive exposure from computers, the internet boom, the China miracle, I call it the great urbanization, and then finally the last five years or more decarbonization,” he said.
Nikolic suggested that recent growth in copper markets is owed to growth in China, but over the next five years that will begin to shift as there is increased demand from decarbonization technologies.
He also pointed to increasing wealth in the global south, specifically Indonesia, India and South America that will provide additional demand for copper.
Nikolic also acknowledged that while copper will remain in a supply-and-demand surplus over the next year, it will begin shifting into a deficit position. This will require 6 to 8 million metric tons to be added to the market over the next 10 years, but there will be significant challenges to meeting that demand.
“The filling of the demand gap is going to be a lot more expensive than in the past. We’ve seen a massive explosion of capital costs for copper, both greenfield and brownfield, and the cost to operate these assets is also increasing,” he said.
These rising costs are also being met with declining grades and depleting deposits that will require US$100 million per year just to maintain current demand growth. Nikolic also suggests that scrap substitution isn’t likely to provide much relief, noting that it's barely keeping up with demand as it is.
David Strang, executive chairman of Ero Copper (TSX:ERO,NYSE:ERO), supported Nikolic’s views, particularly on the expansion of the global south, by providing a history of how technology impacted copper in the mid-20th century.
There was a shift beginning in the late 1940s, when homes in the West stopped having milk delivered and instead went to the grocery stores. The advent of refrigeration reduced the necessity for daily deliveries.
Adding this new technology required copper not only in the refrigerator itself but also in the electrical demands on homes and stores.
Strang pointed to India and Indonesia, which have growing economies and an expanding middle class. However, many are still without what the West would call necessities like cell phones and refrigeration.
He sees a fundamental imbalance in the copper market as this newfound wealth drives demand growth not seen since the middle of the last century.
“So here is the thing: Copper is in crisis. If the world is going to continue to where it needs to be with these economies, we need to find more copper. There are only two things that are going to affect that. One is technology, and the other is the metal price has to go up because we cannot continue to live the way we want to live with regards to the other countries that are growing as quickly as they’re growing,” Strang said.
The case for gold
Moving away from the red metal, panelist Jason Attew, president and CEO of Osisko Gold Royalties (TSX:OR,NYSE:OR), argued for investing in gold.
Marking a stark difference between the fundamentals of copper and gold, Attew pointed out that copper was largely influenced by supply and demand. He questioned if copper would be in as strong a position if the US were to go bankrupt, which he sees as a distinct possibility.
He noted that the US has US$36.5 trillion in federal debt versus US$29.1 trillion in gross domestic product (GDP), a debt-to-GDP ratio of 125 percent.
“This is the highest level since the end of World War Two … This translates to over US$650,000 per US family. It’s just remarkable. This ratio has climbed steadily since the pandemic began in 2020 when the federal government debt was approximately US$20 trillion and GDP was US$21 trillion,” he said.
Attew suggests that the pandemic and the subsequent stimulus raised inflation, requiring the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.
The broad picture he painted is one of the US economy on the edge of a cliff with few solutions. One possible remedy presented by Attew is to increase the money supply, but that would come with the caveat of devaluing the dollar strength, which is where his backing of gold comes in.
“Everyone knows that US dollar strength has an inverse correlation with the price of gold in real terms, all of which is very constructive for gold. So even if it’s not as doom and gloom as I said… we’re headed to a recession in the US, and it’s very challenging or difficult to see how a soft landing is going to happen here,” Attew said.
Lawson Winder, senior metals and mining research analyst with Bank of America (NYSE:BOC) Securities, agreed with Attew but added that gold was also more attractive beyond what was happening in the United States and that it provides a tangible asset in times of uncertainty.
This has led to enormous purchases by central banks, which Winder suggests is at its highest point in history. It has also led to retail purchases by Chinese and Indian consumers seeing the highest increases he’s ever seen. However, these increases in gold buying have yet to materialize with Western investors, but Winder thinks that will change.
“As the confusion with Trump and tariffs takes hold, we think Western investors will increasingly want to own more physical gold and will likely express it through these means, and will ultimately contribute to a higher gold price,” he said.
What does it mean for investors?
Both copper and gold hold their advantages and risks, and the panelists made effective cases for each metal.
The world is living through economic and geopolitical uncertainty, causing investors to turn to gold to maintain balance in their portfolios and reduce risk. Gold is unlikely to change its status as a haven asset in the near future.
The presenters also made a case for copper based on its fundamentals. Copper is a necessary commodity that powers a world that needs more electricity. Demand is up, and supply is becoming more expensive and harder to find.
Conversely, gold offers investors more options, from physical and paper ownership to equities and ETFs, while copper is largely limited to just equities and a small number of ETFs.
Ultimately, the case for both metals is strong, and given the global situation, both could provide investors with excellent opportunities in 2025.
Click here to view the Investing News Network's PDAC playlist on YouTube.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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10 March
Copper Mines in Australia
Home to the world’s second largest copper reserves and the eighth largest copper producer globally in 2024, Australia holds dozens of operating copper mines.
Data from Geoscience Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2023 report shows there were 36 operational copper mines spread across the country as of December 2022. Since then more have come online, and there are plenty more copper projects in the exploration and development stages.
The future for copper production in Australia remains bright thanks to higher price projections and large investments in exploration and development. The Australian government forecasts that copper export earnings will reach AU$15.3 billion in the 2024/2025 period and AU$16.2 billion in the 2025/2026 period.
Read on to learn more about Australia's biggest copper mines as well as near-term producing copper projects.
In this article
Where is copper mined in Australia?
Copper is mined in many of Australia's states. South Australia is the nation’s premier copper jurisdiction with three operating copper mines and 68 percent of Australia’s economic demonstrated resources of copper. The state is home to the largest single copper mine in the country: the Olympic Dam polymetallic mine, owned by BHP (ASX:BHP,LSE:BHP,NYSE:BHP).
While South Australia has the most copper reserves and three of the country's biggest copper mines, the state with the most copper mines is Queensland. It boasted 12 operating producers as of 2022, including Australia's second largest copper producer, Glencore’s (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) Mount Isa Mines complex. In terms of Australia’s copper economic demonstrated resources, Queensland accounts for 11 percent.
New South Wales holds 12 percent of the country’s copper economic demonstrated resources and eight operating copper mines. These include Newmont’s (TSX:NGT,NYSE:NEM) Cadia mine, another of the biggest copper producers in Australia; and Aeris Resources’ (ASX:AIS,OTC Pink:ARSRF) Tritton mine, one of the longest-life mines in the state.
There are 11 copper mines in Western Australia, and the state accounts for 8 percent of the nation’s total copper economic demonstrated resources. The Paterson Province in this region has attracted a lot of attention for large-scale copper discoveries, such as the Telfer mine, which is now wholly owned by Greatland Gold (LSE:GGP,OTC Pink:GRLGF).
This is just a snapshot of some of the country's major copper mines — there are many others that sit on smaller reserves, primarily in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. There are also two copper mines in Tasmania. While they don't have operating mines, Victoria and the Northern Territory are both home to developing copper projects.
Five largest copper mines in Australia
Investors interested in gaining exposure to the opportunities in Australia's copper mining sector should learn about the country's five largest copper mines by production.
The copper mines on this list are owned and operated by publicly traded companies, and mine information and data is sourced from Mining Data Online (MDO). The copper mines in this list are arranged in alphabetical order. BHP, which owns three of the mines on this list, reports production using a fiscal year (FY) ending June 30.
1. Cadia Mine
State: New South Wales
Life of mine: 2057
2024 production: 87,000 tonnes metal in concentrate
The Cadia mine, wholly owned by Newmont through its subsidiary Cadia Holdings, includes the operating Cadia East mine and the Ridgeway mine, currently on care and maintenance. In addition to being a significant copper producer, Cadia is also one Australia's largest gold mining operations.
Launched in January 2013, the large underground Cadia East mine is now undergoing significant expansion activities to extend its mine life. The expansion is focused on a now complete two-stage plant expansion and two panel caves, PC1-2 and PC2-3, which will operate until 2034 and 2042 respectively. Over their operating life, the panel caves are expected to combine for production of about 1.3 million tonnes of copper reserves and 5.9 million ounces of gold reserves.
2. Carrapateena Mine
State: South Australia
Life of mine: 2055
FY2024 production: 194,700 tonnes copper concentrate
The Carrapateena Mine, owned by BHP Group, is an iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) style deposit much like its district neighbours, Prominent Hill and Olympic Dam. This is one of the newest mines on this list, with construction completed in 2019. It became a a part of BHP's copper production portfolio following the major miner's acquisition of OZ Minerals in May 2023. Today, Carrapateena has a production rate of approximately of 4.25 million tonnes per annum.
Carrapateena's copper production for FY2024 increased by nearly 130 percent over 2023's output. "The successful commissioning and ramp up of Crusher 2 in Q3 FY2024 led to record material mined and concentrate produced," MDO states.
3. Mount Isa
State: Queensland
Life of mine: 2025
2024 production: 67,400 tonnes copper metal
The Mount Isa copper mine, owned by Glencore, has long been a key producer of the metal. With production at Mount Isa beginning back in 1943, the country's second largest copper producer has become long in the tooth.
Glencore announced in October 2023 that its underground copper operations and copper concentrator will close in H2 2025 due to economic infeasibility resulting from low ore grades, geological challenges and aging infrastructure. Its other assets in the area will continue operations, including the Mount Isa copper smelter; the George Fisher mine, zinc-lead concentrator and lead smelter; and a copper refinery in Townsville.
4. Olympic Dam
State: South Australia
Life of mine: 2081
FY2024 production: 215,700 tonnes of copper cathode
Launched in 1988, the Olympic Dam is the largest copper producing mine in Australia, and the crown jewel in BHP's asset portfolio. The mine is also a globally important source of gold, silver and uranium. Operations at Olympic Dam consist of underground mining and surface operations as well as a fully integrated processing facility with a hydrometallurgical plant incorporating solvent extraction circuits for copper, a copper smelter and a copper refinery.
In an effort to increase copper production to meet forecasted growth in demand, BHP is looking to expand its copper smelter and refinery facilities in the first half of 2027. In January 2025, BHP awarded an an engineering, procurement and construction management contract for the proposed expansion.
5. Prominent Hill
State: South Australia
Life of mine: 2038
FY2024 production: 98,100 tonnes copper concentrate
Prominent Hill is another important Australian copper mine controlled by BHP that, like Carrapateena, became part of BHP's portfolio through its 2023 OZ Minerals acquisition. Commercial production began at the mine in 2009, and today it produces some of the highest grades of copper concentrate in the world.
Copper production at Prominent Hill nearly doubled in BHP's FY2024 compared to 50,000 tonnes of copper concentrate in FY2023. This is due to a substantial expansion at the Wira Shaft that began in 2022 and is slated to be fully operational by the end of 2025, according to MDO.
Where will Australia's next copper mines be?
Outside of the ongoing expansions at the nation's operating mines, copper exploration and project development is happening across Australia. These are a few advanced copper projects in permitting or under construction held by publicly-traded mining companies.
Caravel project
The Caravel copper project, owned by Caravel Minerals (ASX:CVV), is a permitting-stage copper porphyry project located in Western Australia. The project has a total mineral resource of 3.03 million tonnes of contained copper from 1.28 million tonnes of ore. Caravel Minerals' website says the project is "Australia’s largest undeveloped copper deposit and the fourth-largest copper discovery worldwide in the last decade." A feasibility study is expected to be completed in Q2 2025 and permitting is underway.
Elizabeth Creek project
The Elizabeth Creek project is owned by Coda Minerals (ASX:COD) and located in the Olympic Copper Province of South Australia. The company completed an updated scoping study on the project in December 2024 demonstrating robust economics. The proposed operations at Elizabeth Creek includes three open-pit mines, one underground mine and a hydrometallurgical processing plant. For Phase 1, Coda plans to produce copper-cobalt concentrate in the first year to drive cash-flow. In Phase 2, the completed hydrometallurgical plant will produce higher value saleable end-products such as copper cathode, battery-grade cobalt sulphate, zinc carbonate and silver doré.
Eva Copper project
The Eva Copper project in Queensland is owned by South Africa's Harmony Gold Mining Company (NYSE:HAR). The project hosts the Little Eva and Blackard deposits, planned as open pit operations, as well as four smaller satellite pits. Eva is fully permitted and nearing completion of a feasibility study, which will help inform a final investment decision by January 2026. It is currently expected to produce 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes of copper annually. In mid-2024, the state granted Harmony AU$20.7 million for Eva under the Mount Isa Mining Acceleration Programme.
Havieron project
The Havieron project is an underground copper-gold development-stage asset owned and discovered by Greatland Gold and located in the Paterson region of Western Australia. Previously a partial owner, the company re-acquired the full rights to the project along with the Telfer mine from Newmont on December 4, 2024. Greatland Gold plans to process ore from Havieron at the nearby Telfer mining facility.
Whim Creek project
Whim Creek is a fully permitted copper-zinc project in Western Australia's Pilbara region with four deposits, two of which are proposed as open-pit mines and two as underground mines. The project is owned by Anax Minerals (ASX:ANX) and Develop Global through an 80/20 joint venture. Anax is promoting Whim Creek as a potential processing hub with a concentrator and heap leach combining for capacity of 20,000 tonnes of copper equivalent per year. The company is also testing its bioleaching technology with copper extraction results of 77 to 80 percent.
FAQs for copper mines in Australia
Is Australia rich in copper?
Australia is the eighth top copper-producing country, and there are many ASX-listed copper companies mining for the metal both in and outside of the country. There are actively producing copper-focused mines in five Australian jurisdictions — Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania — while exploration and development is being carried out in a fifth jurisdiction, Victoria. There are known deposits across every jurisdiction, however.
This is an updated version of an article first published by the Investing News Network in 2021.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, currently hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: Anax Metals is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.
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10 March
New Ground Acquisition at Broken Hill
Impact Minerals Limited (ASX:IPT) is pleased to announce the acquisition of a large, 675 sq km landholding adjacent to its current land position surrounding one of the world’s greatest mines containing over 350 million tonnes of massive sulphide mineralisation, the Broken Hill silver-lead-zinc deposit in New South Wales.
- Impact to acquire a large tenement package from New Frontier Minerals Limited (ASX:NFM) adjoining its existing ground holding that almost completely surrounds the giant Broken Hill lead-zinc-silver mine in New South Wales.
- Impact’s ground now extends over 1,770 sq km and covers an area considered extremely prospective for large copper deposits following a novel exploration model that formed the basis of the company’s participation in the inaugural BHP Xplor program in 2023.
- Detailed mapping and sampling of 99 gabbro sills and other work completed during the Xplor program confirmed the copper potential with numerous areas for further exploration identified within the Broken Hill sequence. At least one such target lies within the newly acquired ground.
- Next steps will include ground geophysics to help identify targets for drilling.
- Terms of the acquisition are as follows: Impact to purchase BHA No 1 Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of NFM, for $275,000 in Impact shares and subject to staged voluntary escrow over six months commencing one month after Completion.
The acquisition builds on exploration and research completed as part of the BHP Xplor program, in which Impact participated in its inaugural year, and positions the company as one of the largest ground holders in the region, particularly to the south of Broken Hill. Impact now has 100% ownership of tenements covering 1,770 sq km and over 100 kilometres of strike (Figures 1 and 2; ASX Releases January 17, 2023, and February 16, 2023).
The Broken Hill region is currently experiencing a resurgence of interest in exploration. Broken Hill Mines (ASX: BHM, formerly Coolabah Metals Limited) recently purchased the privately owned Rasp Mine in Broken Hill and the nearby Pinnacles deposit. In addition, South32 Limited has entered a joint venture with a private company that owns a significant ground holding north of the Broken Hill mine. This interest is partly driven by a recent increase in silver prices and long-term demand trends for zinc and lead.
The Search for Copper at Broken Hill
Since the discovery of the giant Broken Hill deposit in 1883, most previous exploration has focused on silver-lead-zinc mineralisation. However, various styles of copper mineralisation are also known to occur throughout the region and have been the focus of some exploration and shallow drilling, though with limited success (Figures 1 and 2). Since copper mineralisation is commonly associated with, but peripheral to, numerous silver-lead-zinc deposits, many exploration geologists have asked, “Where is the large copper deposit at Broken Hill?”.
Figure 1. Image of regional total magnetic intensity showing the Broken Hill orebody (Line of Lode), Impact’s granted licences and licence applications and the new tenements acquired. Note the Thackeringa Fault and Farmcote shear zone, both interpreted as deep-seated long-lived crustal lineaments, and the interpreted sub-basin in the new tenements. Widespread copper occurrences attest to the prospectivity of the region for copper. Impact’s rock chip locations are also shown.
Figure 2. Image of the first vertical derivative of regional magnetic data as in Figure 1. A detailed interpretation of this data has resulted in the identification of numerous target areas for large copper deposits.
Impact became interested in the region's copper potential during exploration for silver-lead- zinc at the Dora East prospect, located about 30 km south of Broken Hill (Figures 1 and 2). Here, Impact discovered moderate widths of high-grade silver-lead-zinc mineralisation and narrow zones of high-grade copper-silver mineralisation (Figure 3 and ASX Releases December 8, 2015, and February 19 2016).
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Impact Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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09 March
BHP to Spend up to A$40M to Explore for Tier 1 Copper-Silver Deposits on CBE Tenements in Botswana
Cobre Limited (ASX: CBE, Cobre or Company) is pleased to announce that CBE, and certain wholly owned subsidiaries (also Cobre), have executed an Earn-In Agreement (Transaction) with a wholly owned subsidiary of BHP Group Ltd (BHP) under which BHP will provide up to US$25 million (~A$40m) for exploration expenditure for Cobre's Kitlanya East and Kitlanya West Copper Projects (Kitlanya Projects) and be granted the right to earn a 75% interest in the Kitlanya Projects, located on the northern and southern basin margins respectively of the Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB) in Botswana. The Transaction is a result of Cobre's successful participation in the 2024 BHP Xplor program which also provided funding for the recently completed seismic survey on the Kitlanya West Project (see ASX announcement 22 August 2024).
Highlights
- The Transaction comprises the following key funding terms (detailed in Schedule 1):
- A minimum of US$5 million of committed funding to be paid to Cobre within 2 years of the commencement date with a planned budget of US$7m (A$11m) for exploration expenditure for the Kitlanya Projects starting in April 2025; and
- BHP can earn a 75% interest in the Kitlanya Projects by funding US$25 million (inclusive of the initial US$5 million) for exploration expenditure for the Kitlanya Projects.
- Cobre Botswana will be appointed operator during the earn-in phase and will be entitled to a management fee of no less than US$250,000 per annum.
- Upon commencement of the 75:25 joint venture, BHP may provide a loan to Cobre to fund Cobre's portion of joint venture expenditure up until the final investment decision.
- An additional payment of up to US$10 million, calculated at $5/tonne contained copper, is payable to Cobre upon the declaration of a maiden JORC Compliant Mineral Resource (JORC) at the Kitlanya Projects.
- If the Transaction is terminated during the Earn-In Phase and BHP has funded at least US$20 million for exploration expenditure, BHP will be entitled to a 2.0% net smelter royalty in respect of the Kitlanya Projects. Cobre may, in certain circumstances, buy back 50% of this royalty for an amount equal to the aggregate of exploration expenditure funded by BHP at the time of electing to exercise the buy-back.
- The Transaction does not cover Cobre’s flagship Ngami and Okavango Copper Projects which Cobre will continue to operate and advance independently.
The Transaction underscores Cobre's confidence in the potential for its projects to host Tier 1 copper- silver deposits. A partnership with BHP provides the exploration funding, scale and expertise to maximise Cobre's chances of making significant new discoveries on our basin margin exploration ground while retaining 100% ownership of its Ngami and Okavango Copper Projects.
The planned work programme for the initial US$7m includes several deep (~1km) diamond holes combined with active 2D seismic survey designed to assess key components of the Mineral System required for Tier 1 copper deposit formation. Mobilisation for the first phase of drilling, which will test targets identified in the 2024 seismic programme at Kitlanya West, is scheduled for April 2025.
Tim O’Connor, BHP Group Exploration Officer said:
"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with one of the BHP Xplor alumni, Cobre Limited, through this agreement. This collaboration reflects our excitement for the exploration potential in Botswana and underscores the high standard of partnerships we see coming out of the BHP Xplor program. The Kitlanya Projects in Botswana represent an exciting opportunity to uncover Tier 1 copper-silver deposits, and we are pleased to contribute our expertise and resources to this venture.”
Commenting on the Transaction, Adam Wooldridge, Cobre’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“This significant transaction with BHP, one of the world’s leading mining companies, is a major moment in time for Cobre as a company as well as a testament to the success of BHP’s Xplor programme. The partnership with BHP will provide us with the funding and support necessary to implement a technology-driven work programme designed to discover the Tier 1 deposits we believe may be hosted in our Kitlanya East and West Projects.
Independently, Cobre will continue advancing its Ngami and Okavango copper Projects.This combined strategy provides exposure to potential Tier 1 discoveries, a development opportunity at Ngami and short-term discoveries on our Okavango project.”
Commenting on the transaction, Martin Holland Chairman of the Cobre board, said:
“First and foremost, I would like to extend my gratitude to BHP for their exceptional efforts in the 2024 BHP Xplor program, which aims to foster bold thinking and elevate global exploration to new heights.
I would also like to thank the Cobre Board and team, especially our CEO Adam Wooldridge and Technical Lead Thomas Krebs, for their tireless dedication throughout the year-and-a-half-long process that has led us to this point and for their efforts in successfully finalising this transaction with BHP.”
Figure 1. Locality map illustrating the position of Cobre’s project areas. Green licenses are relevant tothe Transaction, dark grey licenses will be run, and are owned, independently by Cobre.
Geology, Mineralisation and Exploration Target
Mineralisation in the KCB is sediment-hosted and structurally controlled, with copper-silver mineralisation most frequently hosted along the redox contact between the basal units of the reduced marine sedimentary rocks of the D’Kar Formation and oxidised clastic sedimentary red bed units of the Kuke and Ngwako Pan Formations and the underlying volcanosedimentary Kgwebe Formation. Of particular interest for Tier 1 deposits are the tight, upright folds which offer ideal trap-sites for upgrading of copper-silver mineralisation and formation of large deposits. These folds are typically bounded by district-scale shears (often with evidence of copper anomalism) which would provide the necessary plumbing architecture for movement of copper-rich fluids during basin formation and subsequent closure and deformation. A schematic illustration of the preserved fold hinge model is illustrated in Figure 2. The upcoming exploration programme will focus on testing these buried anticline hinge zones along with assessing primary basin architecture, source rocks, fluid pathways and trap-site mechanisms.
Figure 2: Schematic illustrating of the target model compared with typical settings for known KCB deposits.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Cobre Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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