Prospect Resources Uncovers Promising New Copper Target at West Mwombezhi
Prospect Resources (ASX:PSC, FRA:5E8) has identified a significant new drilling target at its West Mwombezhi prospect, part of the Mumbezhi Copper Project in Zambia's Central African Copperbelt. Aircore drilling has returned highly anomalous shallow copper mineralisation over 1 kilometer of strike length, validating a 1.5 km-long copper anomaly identified through surface geochemical sampling.
Significant Shallow Copper Mineralisation Discovered in Zambia
Prospect Resources' aircore drilling program at West Mwombezhi has delivered compelling results, establishing the prospect as a major target within the Company's broader Mumbezhi Copper Project. The program consisted of 69 shallow aircore drill holes for 1,387 meters, targeting anomalies identified through termite hill geochemical sampling.
The drilling confirmed highly anomalous copper mineralisation (>0.05% Cu) at shallow depths over a substantial 1km strike length. Most impressively, several holes returned significant intercepts including:
- 22m @ 0.17% Cu from 8m (still open at end of hole) in MWAC008
- 23m @ 0.09% Cu from 0m (still open at end of hole) in MWAC016
- 17m @ 0.10% Cu from 8m (still open at end of hole) in MWAC015
- 7m @ 0.21% Cu from 17m (still open at end of hole) in MWAC052
The results are particularly encouraging as they align with a well-defined, 1.5 km-long north-northeast copper trend previously identified through regional surface geochemical sampling of termite mounds.
"I am very pleased with the results of the recent aircore drilling at this high-potential target area at West Mwombezhi, where a substantial Exploration Target was independently defined earlier this year," commented Sam Hosack, Prospect's Managing Director and CEO.
Strategic Location with Infrastructure Advantages
The West Mwombezhi prospect is strategically located just 13km north-northeast of the large Nyungu Central deposit, in the northwest corner of the Mumbezhi tenement. Importantly, the prospect lies within several kilometers of existing road and power infrastructure, potentially reducing future development costs.
This new target area was not previously drilled by former explorers despite showing anomalous copper soil geochemistry. While Argonaut Resources NL completed four diamond drill holes at West Mwombezhi in 2014, they were positioned approximately 1km west of Prospect's newly defined target zone.
Based on these promising results, diamond drilling has now commenced to test the depth potential of this significant target area.
Understanding Termite Mound Sampling in Mineral Exploration
Termite mound sampling is a particularly effective geochemical exploration technique in regions covered by thick soil layers, as is common across much of the African Copperbelt.
Termites build their mounds by bringing soil particles from depths that can exceed 50 meters to the surface. As they construct their extensive underground networks, termites effectively sample deeper layers that may contain mineralisation, creating natural "drill holes" that bring deeper material to the surface.
For explorers, sampling these termite mounds can reveal mineral anomalies that would otherwise be hidden beneath thick soil cover. This technique has become an essential exploration tool in regions where traditional soil sampling might be ineffective due to transported cover material.
In Prospect's case, the termite hill sampling successfully identified copper anomalies that have now been confirmed by aircore drilling, demonstrating the effectiveness of this exploration approach.
Expanding Exploration Across Multiple Targets
Prospect's exploration work at Mumbezhi extends well beyond West Mwombezhi. The Phase 2 diamond drilling program is approximately 77% complete, with resource definition work at Nyungu Central and Kabikupa deposits now finished.
The Company has strategically shifted its drilling focus toward regional exploration, targeting priority areas identified through its growing geophysical and geochemical datasets. Drilling is currently underway at:
- West Mwombezhi (the subject of this announcement)
- Nyungu South
- Nyungu North
Additionally, project-wide airborne electromagnetic surveying has been completed, with detailed interpretation results expected in September. A comprehensive, license-wide geochemical soil sampling program is nearing completion, with full assay datasets and interpretation expected in October.
The Company is also compiling drilling data to update its JORC-reportable Indicated and Inferred copper Mineral Resources for Nyungu Central and Kabikupa in Q4 2025.
The Significance of Copper in the Green Energy Transition
Copper plays a crucial role in the global transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles. As a red-orange coloured metallic element, copper is an excellent conductor of both heat and electricity, making it essential for electrical wiring, cables, and electronic components.
The metal is widely recognised as a green-energy transition material, particularly due to its importance in electric vehicles, which can contain up to 80kg of copper, four times the amount used in conventional combustion engine vehicles.
With growing global demand for EVs and renewable energy infrastructure, copper exploration projects like Mumbezhi are strategically positioned to benefit from these long-term market trends.
Why Investors Should Watch Prospect Resources
Prospect Resources represents a compelling investment opportunity for several key reasons:
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Strategic Asset Position: The company holds 85% of the Mumbezhi Copper Project in Zambia's world-class Central African Copperbelt, with a maiden JORC resource of 107.2Mt @ 0.5% Cu for 514.6kt of contained copper.
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Multiple Drill Targets: With drilling active across several prospects and extensive exploration results pending, Prospect is poised for a potentially transformative period of news flow in the coming months.
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Infrastructure Advantages: The proximity of key prospects to existing infrastructure like roads and power lines could significantly reduce future development costs.
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Systematic Exploration Approach: The company has demonstrated a methodical approach to exploration, building comprehensive datasets across the project area to identify and prioritise targets.
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Copper Market Fundamentals: With copper's essential role in the green energy transition and electrification, the metal's long-term demand outlook remains robust.
"With rigs active across the corridor and assays pending, we expect a busy quarter of results as we continue to advance Nyungu South, Nyungu North and West Mwombezhi in parallel," noted Sam Hosack.
For investors interested in copper exploration projects with near-term development potential, Prospect Resources offers exposure to a systematically explored asset in one of the world's premier copper provinces.
Ready to Capitalise on Prospect's Copper Momentum?
Discover why savvy investors are taking note of Prospect Resources' expanding copper footprint in Zambia's prolific Copperbelt region. With multiple active drill targets and promising results already flowing in from West Mwombezhi, now is the perfect time to delve deeper into this emerging copper story. For comprehensive information about Prospect's strategic copper assets and latest exploration developments, visit the company's ASX announcements page today.
