Untapped 3km Mineralisation Strike with Exceptional IP Results
Litchfield Minerals has unveiled a potentially major copper-zinc discovery at its Oonagalabi Project, located 125km northeast of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Recent geophysical surveys have identified a massive, highly chargeable anomaly extending over 1km in strike length and reaching depths of more than 500m.
The project sits at a strategic continental-scale junction – positioned less than 1km from the Irindina-Aileron Province boundary, a major crustal structure that provides the geological setting for significant mineralisation. This structural architecture is common to many of Australia's Tier 1 deposits.
Most notably, new pole-dipole IP surveys revealed exceptional chargeability values exceeding 20mV/V across two parallel zones. This discovery potentially doubles the size of the mineralised system previously identified through historic drilling, which returned average intercepts of 13.1m @ 0.44% Cu, 0.96% Zn, and 0.08% Pb across 16 holes.
Understanding IP Chargeability: Why It Matters for Investors
For investors new to resource exploration, IP (Induced Polarization) chargeability is a critical geophysical measurement that indicates the presence of disseminated sulphide minerals in the subsurface. High chargeability values (measured in mV/V) typically correlate with zones where sulphide minerals like chalcopyrite (copper), sphalerite (zinc), and pyrite are concentrated.
What makes the Oonagalabi discovery particularly significant is the exceptional chargeability readings (>20mV/V) over such extensive zones. In copper-zinc exploration, these values suggest a potentially large mineralised system with disseminated sulphides – precisely what investors want to see in early-stage discoveries.
Importantly, historical drilling largely missed these high-chargeability zones, instead focusing on surface expressions. This means Litchfield's upcoming drilling programme will be testing areas with significantly higher prospectivity than previous campaigns.
Aggressive Exploration Timeline Delivers Results
Litchfield has moved with remarkable speed since acquiring the project from Comet Resources in October 2024. Their systematic, data-driven exploration approach has rapidly advanced understanding of the deposit:
- October 2024: Project acquisition and immediate Sentinel-2 hyperspectral analysis
- December 2024: Completion of soil sampling (163 samples), rock chip sampling (13 samples), and detailed geological mapping
- December 2024: High-resolution 50m drone magnetics survey
- February 2025: Pole-Dipole IP survey (8 lines covering 1.65km each)
- March/April 2025: 1,646m RC drilling programme (6 holes) currently underway
This aggressive timeline demonstrates management's commitment to "succeed quickly or fail fast" – a strategy that has already delivered compelling evidence of a major mineral system.
Multiple Mineralisation Styles Enhancing Economic Potential
What sets Oonagalabi apart is the presence of multiple mineralisation styles across the property:
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Stratabound Cu-Zn-Pb sulphides: The primary mineralisation style, hosted exclusively within the Oonagalabi Formation (marble, calc-silicates, and garnet quartzite)
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Magnetite-Bi-Co-Au mineralisation: A newly identified style along the western flank with IOCG (Iron Oxide Copper Gold) characteristics, suggesting multiple mineralising events
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Potential high-grade remobilized sulphide zones: Similar to the nearby Jervois deposit (27.45Mt @ 1.87% Cu, 0.24 g/t Au, 25.3 g/t Ag)
The presence of these diverse mineralisation styles significantly enhances the economic potential of the project, as it suggests a large-scale, multi-phase system capable of hosting various metal concentrations.
Complex Geological Setting with Substantial Resource Potential
The project's geological complexity offers substantial upside. New interpretation suggests two sub-parallel, overturned synforms (Western and Central), with the Central synform having little surface expression. This "blind" central zone potentially increases tonnage potential beyond what surface mapping would suggest.
The pre-folding width of the Oonagalabi Formation is estimated at over 1km across Western, Central, and Eastern fold closures. Significantly, most historic drilling missed the high-chargeability zones now identified, focusing instead on peripheral expressions of mineralisation.
The drone magnetic survey has also identified a large, pipe-like magnetic body approximately 1km to the northwest of the known mineralisation. This feature, completely obscured by overlying units, could represent either:
- A potential intrusive source for mineralisation
- An undiscovered mineralized zone
- A heat/metal source if Oonagalabi represents a skarn-type system
Investment Case: Why Litchfield Stands Out
Litchfield Minerals presents a compelling investment case for several key reasons:
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Scale of the discovery: The newly identified IP anomalies suggest a system potentially much larger than previously understood, with 3km of prospective strike length.
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Multiple mineralisation styles: The presence of both Cu-Zn stratabound mineralisation and magnetite-Bi-Co-Au IOCG-style mineralisation increases the probability of economic success.
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Strategic location: Positioned near major crustal structures at a continental scale, similar to many of Australia's Tier 1 deposits.
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Untested potential: Historical drilling largely missed the most prospective zones identified by modern geophysics.
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Rapid advancement: The company has demonstrated its ability to move quickly and efficiently, generating significant technical insights within months of acquisition.
Forward Plan and Catalysts
Litchfield has outlined a clear path forward to advance the Oonagalabi project:
- Completion of current 1,646m RC drilling programme (results pending)
- Tenement-wide VTEM survey to assess potential for high-grade sulphide feeder structures
- Ground EM and gravity surveys to refine drilling targets
- Phase 2 drilling programme based on integrated results
Investors should watch closely for drilling results from the current programme, which is targeting the highest-priority IP anomalies. Positive results would provide strong validation of the company's geological model and potentially trigger a significant re-rating of the stock.
The Oonagalabi Advantage: A Potentially Company-Making Discovery
Litchfield Minerals has methodically built a compelling case for Oonagalabi as a significant copper-zinc system with IOCG potential. The project's strategic location along a major crustal boundary, extensive 3km mineralized strike, exceptional IP chargeability values, and multiple mineralisation styles all suggest this could be a company-making discovery by Litchfield Minerals.
For investors seeking exposure to advanced copper exploration in a tier-one jurisdiction, Litchfield offers a rare combination of scale, grade potential, and systematic advancement that warrants close attention as drilling results emerge.
Want to Capitalise on Litchfield's Potential Company-Making Discovery?
With a massive 3km mineralisation strike, exceptional IP results, and an aggressive exploration timeline already delivering results, Litchfield Minerals presents a compelling investment opportunity in the copper-zinc space. To learn more about this potentially significant discovery at the Oonagalabi Project and stay updated on the current drilling programme, visit www.litchfieldminerals.com.au for investor information and the latest project developments.
