Sarytogan jags three new copper zones near Kazakh graphite site

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Sarytogan Graphite’s soil sampling last year at its Baynazar project in Kazakhstan has defined three new multi-element anomalies with a copper emphasis at Aminbay, 20 kilometres southwest of the main Baynazar caldera.

The anomalism exhibits classic element zonation indicative of a porphyry host. It coincides with a ringed, ovoid structure evident in aeromagnetic data that supports the interpretation of a possible porphyry intrusion.

Typical malachite and quartz specimen from the Baynazar caldera in Kazakhstan. Sarytogan Graphite’s soil sampling across its new copper project tenements on the caldera’s western flank has defined multiple copper anomalies warranting a follow-up.

Sarytogan applied for the ground last year, neatly enclosing much of a north-south trending belt of ancient parasitic or satellite calderas and related structures that extend southwards from the western rim of the main Baynazar caldera for about 48km.

Since acquisition, the company has flown a high-resolution aeromagnetic survey and picked up more than 6000 soil samples throughout the new property.

The belt encloses seven small calderas and/or volcanic centres, with possibly more remaining to be identified, due to successive overlapping and reactivations typical of long-established volcanic centres.

‘This second target generated at the Baynazar copper exploration project is named ‘Aminbay’ and looks very promising with textbook metal zonation and aeromagnetic features consistent with a possible porphyry intrusion.’

Sarytogan Graphite managing director Sean Gregory

The main Baynazar caldera is slightly oval, with principal diameters measuring about 27km north-south and 25km east-west, giving it a total area of about 520 square kilometres.

Three other smaller calderas between 7km and 12km in diameter fall within the main Baynazar structure.

Sarytogan’s established graphite project lies on the northeastern flank of the main caldera, 26km northeast from the north end of the new tenement area which covers part of the caldera’s western rim.

The company’s graphite operation also sits just 5km southeast of the Almaty copper mine, 6km from the northeastern rim of the Baynazar caldera, providing additional reinforcement of the region’s copper potential that is tied to its volcanic and intrusive geological history.

Evidence of polymetallic mineralisation is widespread within the main caldera and along Sarytogan’s run of six geochemistry targets. The company has recorded metal associations along the belt including for gold, copper, gold-copper and gold-copper-molybdenum-tungsten.

Results from Sarytogan’s extensive soil sampling are still coming in and have already determined important gold-copper anomalism at its Ilkin prospect in the extreme north of the company’s new tenure, while also bringing to light the latest anomalism 33km further south at Aminbay.

Sarytogan Graphite managing director Sean Gregory said: “Kazakhstan is an established mining jurisdiction with many of the world’s lowest cost copper mines and excellent prospectivity for the discovery of further copper porphyry mineralisation. This second target generated at the Baynazar copper exploration project is named ‘Aminbay’ and looks very promising with textbook metal zonation and aeromagnetic features consistent with a possible porphyry intrusion.”

The company has subdivided the Aminbay anomalism into three zones, designated AN-01, AN-02 and AN-03.

AN-01, the highest priority anomaly, is characterised by obvious polymetallic zonation mirroring the underlying structures defined by the aeromagnetic data.

The magnetics point to a small, round magnetic low that has been interpreted as a felsic intrusive.

It is related to a high potassium signature determined by gamma spectroscopy, which clearly defines potassic alteration at the intrusive centre.

The high potassium response coincides with copper better than 50 parts per million (ppm) in two distinct central zones, accompanied by beryllium greater than 4ppm beryllium, respectively.

Tungsten anomalism at better than 5.8ppm extends from the core of the anomaly to the northwest where it tapers off against an elevated copper-lead-zinc response to more than 50ppm, 218ppm and 415ppm, respectively.

Elevated molybdenum and antimony also delineate the core of the magnetic low above 3.6ppm and 10ppm respectively, while accompanying tin responses run better than 4.4ppm.

Bismuth is centred on the core area at better than 1.3ppm and also separately above 1.3ppm where it coincides with the combined copper-lead-zinc signature 1km to the northwest of the central anomaly.

Together, the potassium, beryllium, tungsten, moly, bismuth and tin association denotes a classic felsic/granitoid affinity that could be tentatively interpreted as a felsic intrusive, possibly a porphyry.

The extent of low-level base metal enrichment surrounding the interpreted porphyry centre trends north-west/south-east over about 3.6km.

The AN-02 anomaly is on the northwest margin of the Zhangeldy granite intrusive zone and is most strongly anomalous in copper, with associated enrichment in tungsten, bismuth and moly. The levels are less distinct than at AN-01.

Historic artisanal mining for copper in the area points to its significance. An historical artisanal or prospecting trench 300m southwest of the AN-02 anomaly was sampled by Sarytogan’s geologists and found to average 0.67 per cent copper, 0.02g/t gold, 0.47g/t silver, and 0.01pc moly over a length of 15m. The anomaly will require additional work to resolve.

The AN-03 anomaly lies on the northernmost line of the local Animbay soil sampling grid and features sporadic anomalism of elements including copper, tungsten, gold, antimony and zinc.

Enrichment in these elements is believed to be related to the small Seltey caldera immediately to its northwest. Sampling results indicate the Seltey caldera could contain elevated gold and pathfinder elements.

Sarytogan has extended its soil sampling grid to the north to better resolve the local Seltey geochemistry and is awaiting the assay results.

As sample results continue to flow in from other prospects at Baynazar, geochemical interpretation will be ongoing and more anomalies could be identified given the regional influence of volcanic and intrusive activity.

Sarytogan plans to infill the sampling patterns across the identified Aminbay anomalies and will also extend sampling to the north and south in some areas.

The company anticipates planning follow-up drilling once all geochemical results are to hand and interpreted, subject to acquiring specific funding for its ongoing copper exploration.

If the company can define an economic copper deposit in the region, it would benefit from Kazakhstan being an established low-cost mining jurisdiction.

Sarytogan’s recent investment by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is preferentially directed to the development of the company’s graphite project, on the other side of the Baynazar caldera. Sarytogan has pegged a second exploration licence for copper and expects to provide further information on that development shortly.

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