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- Assays confirm encouraging high-grade copper results
- Copper values for pit and dump samples ranging up to 6.88% Cu
- Further copper testing supports potential amenability to conventional acid-leach processing
- Follow-up site visits planned including detailed geological mapping
New Frontier Minerals (ASX:NFM) has obtained high-grade assay results from a May 2026 field program at the Mt Storm copper prospect, part of the NWQ copper project in north-west Queensland.
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Detailed laboratory analyses of eight rock chip and grab samples have confirmed high-grade copper mineralisation at surface, with pit and dump samples returning up to 6.88% copper.
Sequential leach testing confirmed high recoveries of the sulphuric acid-soluble copper component.
Chairman, Gerrard Hall, said the company’s geological team will return to site later this month to complete detailed geological mapping, which will assist in the development of any future drill program at Mt Storm.
“The Mt Storm assays are an excellent outcome from our May field program in Queensland. Copper grades of up to 6.88% at surface, together with acid-soluble copper recoveries, confirm the historical results that first drew our attention to a prospect that has already produced ore grade material at around 6.0% copper.
“Sitting only eight km from our Big One deposit, Mt Storm is emerging as a compelling target, and our team will return to site this month to complete the detailed mapping that will assist in the development of any future drill program.
Mt Storm is located 75km north of Austral’s Mt Kelly processing facility. Historical small-scale mining, most recently by Coffee Gold in the early 1990s extracted approximately 1,100 tonnes of ore in total – 700 tonnes at a head grade of 7.0% copper and a later batch of 400 tonnes at 4.5% copper.
Historical pit sampling returned up to 10.4% copper across a 0.6m interval on the western cherty malachite vein, with earlier sampling by ALS Cloncurry recording copper as high as 5.4% and 271 parts per million (ppm) cobalt in similar locations.
Later rock chip sampling by Mt Isa Metals found copper to 521 ppm, cobalt to 519 ppm and gold to 750 parts per billion (ppb) away from the workings.
The Mt Storm historical pits are aligned along a malachite vein system striking between 30° and 70° with steep dips to the southwest. Copper-cobalt-gold mineralisation is interpreted to be structurally controlled along the dyke contact; there is currently no drilling to test down-dip extensions.
NFM’s forthcoming Mt Storm work program to include:
• Detailed geological mapping of the Mt Storm prospect to refine the geological model and assist in the development of any future drill program
• Landowner engagement, cultural heritage and site access planning to be progressed in parallel with the mapping program.
NFM was down 14.3% at 0.6¢. Mkt cap $12.16M.
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