- Cyprium Metals (CYM) is progressing exploration activities at its Nifty Copper Project in Western Australia
- Around 3000 metres of drilling has been completed and another 16,000 metres has begun to test the potential of ore extensions and to increase drill density
- Additional metallurgical testwork, baseline studies and site surveys are also being conducted
- This work part of Cyprium’s goal of developing an open-pit heap leach, solvent extraction and electrowinning operation to produce copper cathode metals
- Company shares are up 5.77 per cent and trading at 27.5 cents
Cyprium Metals (CYM) has been progressing exploration at its Nifty Copper Project in Western Australia.
Various site activities and programs are being carried out at the project as part of Cyprium’s goal of developing an open-pit heap leach, solvent extraction and electrowinning operation to produce copper cathode metals.
Drilling
As soon as Cyprium gained access to the project site, it mobilised a reverse circulation (RC) drill rig to conduct up to 19,000 metres of drilling.
So far, around 3000 metres of drilling has been completed on the Southeast limb to increase density of existing drilling and test the potential for ore extensions from the southeast corner of the Nifty open pit.
Drill core samples have been prepared and are on the way to the lab for analysis.
The 16,000-metre component of drilling has begun on the Western limb to test the potential up-plunge extensions of the oxide and transitional mineralisation. This program will be accelerated once the second drill rig arrives on site later this month.
Some time this month, diamond drilling will commence to collect diamond core samples of mineralisation around the open pit for column leach tests on the copper mineralisation.
Once the diamond rig has wrapped up at Nifty, it will complete preliminary geotechnical drilling before mobilising to the Maroochydore Copper Project to drill core samples for similar metallurgical testwork.
Metallurgical testwork
A sonic drill rig was mobilised to the site to collect core samples for metallurgical testwork.
According to the company, the rig has been very effective in producing complete samples from the existing heap leach pads. The samples are now being dispatched to the lab for testing.
Bulk samples
Samples from the trenching of the heap leach pads have been prepared and are currently in the lab for column testwork leaching analysis. This initial testwork is confirming the improved leaching rates that Cyprium’s methods can produce, and the parameters used in the proof-of-concept studies.
Additional site surveys and baseline studies are also ongoing and the company has employed more than 40 Nifty site-based personnel, excluding contractors, to conduct this work.
Company shares were up 5.77 per cent and trading at 27.5 cents at 12:14 pm AEST.