en.Wedoany.com Reported - Breakthrough Minerals has commenced a resource expansion drilling campaign at the Turpentine copper-gold deposit within the Hazel Creek Project in Queensland, Australia.
Hazel Creek is part of the company's North Queensland Copper-Gold Project, which hosts 18.8 million tonnes of resources at a copper equivalent grade of 1.07%, containing 200,000 tonnes of copper equivalent metal. The Turpentine deposit's Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) stands at 8.7 million tonnes at a copper equivalent grade of 1.16%, containing 101,000 tonnes of metal, accounting for over half of Breakthrough Minerals' (ASX:BTM) resource inventory. The initial diamond drilling program is approximately 4,000 meters, targeting the northern and down-dip extensions of the resource. This campaign aims to follow up on existing high-grade copper-gold mineralization, with historical drilling yielding a series of significant intercepts, including 21 meters at 1.5% copper and 0.2 g/t gold from 167 meters depth, 13 meters at 2.1% copper and 1.1 g/t gold from 136 meters depth, and 11 meters at 2.0% copper and 0.5 g/t gold from 277 meters depth.
Breakthrough Minerals Managing Director Nigel Broomham stated that Turpentine is the company's cornerstone deposit and that this project marks a significant step in the strategy to expand the copper-gold resource base in North Queensland. With over 100,000 tonnes of copper equivalent metal already defined and mineralization remaining open to the north and at depth, the company believes there is an opportunity to expand resources through systematic drilling. The current drilling program is designed using gravity inversion modeling and magnetic data, indicating that the mineralized system continues to plunge northward beyond the current resource envelope. Broomham noted that the gravity inversion modeling provides a compelling vector for growth, suggesting the mineralized system continues to plunge northward beyond the current resource limits, "giving us confidence that we are drilling in the right location, and we look forward to reporting results in a timely manner."
The drilling campaign at Turpentine is part of the company's broader 10,000-meter exploration drilling program for 2026, following the completion of the initial drilling program at the Barbara Copper-Gold Project. Assay results from Barbara are expected to be released in the coming weeks. Additionally, a 2,500-meter reverse circulation drilling program is planned at priority targets within Hazel Creek, including the Turpentine South, Eight Mile Creek North, Eight Mile Creek East, and SE Offset prospects. Breakthrough has also appointed Dr. Jim Yaxley as Exploration Manager, who brings over 20 years of experience in the exploration sector. He will lead projects at Barbara, Hazel Creek, and the broader North Queensland asset portfolio, with expertise including drill program design and execution, geological modeling, resource estimation, and the application of structural geology and geophysics to IOCG and ISCG mineral systems. Exploration activities are expected to transition to regional reverse circulation drilling later this year.
