Australian-listed mineral explorer Archer Exploration (ASX: AXE) has received analytical results from initial December 2009 reconnaissance sampling of its 100% owned North Cowell tenement EL 4277.
The North Cowell Exploration Licence was granted on the 29th June 2009 and is located 17km WNW of Cowell on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. The tenement comprises 2 blocks covering 93 km2 and hosts the historic Calcookra, Morowie, Cowell and Yalpoodnie copper mines as well as manganese/iron workings.
By mid-afternoon, shares in Archer had risen 5% to 21c.
During December Archer located the historical workings and collected samples of mineralization, host rocks and potential extensions to the mineralization. 51 samples were submitted for assay from both base metal and manganese/iron prospects and 26 returned assay values that are considered significant and support additional exploration.
The analysis results from rock chip sampling confirmed significant copper (Morowie and Morowie Sth Mines) and copper, zinc and silver (Cowell Mine) associated with the old working. The peak value was 11% copper, 72 g/t silver and 19% zinc from the Cowell Mine. Two manganese/iron areas were identified with a sample from unnamed workings returning 42.4% iron and 17.7% manganese.
The area was mined in the late 19th century primarily for copper, but silver was mined at the Cowell and Miltalie mines and there are manganese and iron workings on the tenement.
Modern exploration in the region by Shell, Western Mining Corporation and RTZ in the 1980s and 1990s was primarily focused on uranium and Broken Hill style base metal mineralization.
Archer’s initial assessment of the tenement involved locating historical base metal and manganese/iron mines and collecting rock chip samples from the mineralized zones within the workings, host rocks and potential extensions to the mineralization. A total of 51 samples were collected and assayed for a range of elements.
Mineralization at the Morowie deposits is predominantly copper with minor silver while Cowell is a copper, zinc and silver deposit.
The main copper minerals present in the samples are malachite and azurite (copper carbonates) and the mineralization is hosted in a sequence of altered, silicified siltstone, dolomite and quartzite.
The manganese and iron mineralization is located approximately 8 kms east of Centrex’s Bungalow Prospect and is associated with the Lower Middleback Jaspilite.
Outcrops and small workings exposing manganese and iron mineralization were sampled in three locations on EL4277. Encouraging iron and manganese assay results were returned from the samples taken at those locations.
The next phase in the evaluation of the iron and manganese potential of the Jaspilite at North Cowell will be to map and sample the unit over its 6 kms strike length across the tenement.
The rock chip analysis results have confirmed the base metal potential of the 2 kms strike length Cowell‐Morowie Mine area and identified two areas for further iron/manganese exploration.