‘Mt Chalmers look-a-likes’: Soil discovery points to mining potential

A soil program identified “several large copper and zinc soil anomalies” within the Berserker Beds that host the Mount Chalmers mine.

The diamond drill rig at Mount Chalmers.

QMines, the company exploring Mount Chalmers for copper and gold, announced on Tuesday the results of a six-month soil sampling program suggested “potential for multiple Mt Chalmers look-a-likes”.

The soil program identified “several large copper and zinc soil anomalies” within the Berserker Beds that host the Mount Chalmers mine.

The results “represent exciting new drill targets”, the announcement said, and QMines chairman Andrew Sparke said the significance of the soil data “cannot be understated in terms of the scale and exploration potential”.

“It is important to note the scale of these new soil anomalies with one anomaly being approximately 10km long by 2km wide,” he said.

“This new discovery is a very exciting development that clearly demonstrates the significant scale potential of the Mt Chalmers project.”

In its June 2021 quarterly report, QMines said it had spent $364,546 on exploration and development at Mount Chalmers in the first two months of the project.

Its proposed two-year budget until May 2023 is $6,119,752.

About its use of funds, QMines said “administration costs were higher due to unexpected expenditure associated with the IPO including additional marketing and investor relations costs”.

During the June quarter, QMines also completed a 1,588m 11-hole diamond drilling program that provided “outstanding” results.

“Mt Chalmers has an Inferred Copper Equivalent Resource of 73,000t Cu at 1.9 per cent Cu equivalent,” the quarterly report said.

“The system contains copper, gold, zinc, lead and silver mineralisation and is recognised as being one of the highest-grade gold VHMS [volcanic-hosted massive sulphide] mineral systems in the world.”

QMines now plans to continue exploration drilling for several weeks to validate historical data; a second rig is on-site and assays are expected shortly for a 30,000m+ drilling program now underway.

It has also applied for further exploration permits around Mount Chalmers to cover the Berserker Beds.

The company aims to become Australia’s first zero-carbon copper and gold developer.

Its website says it has taken on more than 40 local contractors and has more than 150 Queensland shareholders.

Originally published as ‘Mt Chalmers look-a-likes’: Soil discovery points to mining potential