en.Wedoany.com Reported - Breakthrough Minerals (ASX:BTM) is advancing district-scale exploration of its North Queensland Copper-Gold (NQCG) project in the Mount Isa region, following the completion of its acquisition in March 2026.
Managing Director Nigel Broomham told Stockhead the project offers three key attractions: a defined resource of approximately 200,000 tonnes of copper equivalent, 21.5 square kilometres of granted mining leases, and the potential for ongoing new discoveries within a vast land package.
Breakthrough Minerals entered into a binding conditional agreement to acquire the project in late October 2025, with the acquisition completed at the end of March 2026.
The NQCG project covers approximately 952 square kilometres of granted exploration tenure, including 21.5 square kilometres of granted mining leases. The project comprises three cornerstone areas: Barbara, located within the mining lease, hosts 62,000 tonnes of copper-gold resources; the Turpentine deposit at Hazel Creek is a near-term focus; and the Mt Colin and Soldiers Cap/Cloncurry exploration projects are located further afield. The project is situated near processing infrastructure owned by Glencore and Harmony Gold Mining.
Broomham noted that the company's 200,000 tonnes of copper equivalent metal underground is not committed to any offtake, providing access to attractive financing terms and enabling the company to benefit from future resource growth and long-term copper market fundamentals. He stated that global electrification drives immense copper demand, while underinvestment in exploration has led to few new discoveries, combined with industry activity in northwest Queensland, making the project even more compelling.
High-grade copper intersections from historical drilling outside the resource envelope include: 30 metres at 1.5% copper (EXRC040), 23 metres at 1.06% copper (EHDD009), 3 metres at 7.41% copper (LMRC001), and 15 metres at 9.1 g/t gold and 1.5% copper (VFRC018).
Half of the resource (8.7 million tonnes at 1.16% CuEq, inferred category, containing 101,000 tonnes of CuEq metal) is located within the Turpentine deposit at the Hazel Creek project. This deposit is approximately 20 kilometres from Harmony Gold's Eva copper project, with mineralisation extending over 1 kilometre of strike from surface, to a depth of approximately 350 metres, and remains open down-dip.
Hazel Creek is prospective for iron oxide copper-gold mineralisation, with Turpentine expected to be the initial drilling focus. The project also includes prospects such as Turpentine South Offset, 8 Mile Creek East, and Brumby, all supported by coincident geophysical anomalies, with Turpentine South considered a priority target.
At the Barbara project, approximately 5.8 million tonnes (out of a total 6.5 million tonnes) grading 0.97% CuEq are classified as indicated, providing sufficient geological certainty for mine planning. The resource is hosted within the biotite-rich Barbara Shear Zone and rhyodacite units, remaining open along plunge and at depth. Historical drilling, such as an intersection of 2 metres at 2.1% copper from 158 metres, occurs north of the current resource.
Mt Colin hosts a resource of 600,000 tonnes at 2.13% CuEq, representing 13,000 tonnes of contained CuEq metal, with one-third classified as measured and an additional 300,000 tonnes still in the acceptable indicated category. The Soldiers Cap and Cloncurry projects, located on the eastern margin of the Mount Isa Block, contain copper-gold and Cannington-style zinc-lead-silver targets, such as Canteen and Victory at Cloncurry, and the Strathfield prospect at Soldiers Cap. Strathfield hosts copper-gold mineralisation within graphitic black shales, with over 4 kilometres of strike, and initial drilling has outlined low-grade mineralisation with high-grade intervals. All prospects at Cloncurry and Soldiers Cap are expected to be advanced during the 2026 drilling season.
Initial assay results from the first three holes of Breakthrough Minerals' maiden diamond drilling program at the Barbara project are encouraging, demonstrating that mineralisation extends below the current resource base with higher grades and greater widths. The company has added six additional holes, with results expected in the coming weeks. The company has also commenced an approximately 4,000-metre resource extension drilling program at the Turpentine deposit. Broomham stated that the company is pursuing a three-pronged strategy: expanding known resources, targeting adjacent prospects, and testing the entire regional portfolio, with activity over the next 12 months driven by exploration and drilling results, targeting resource upgrades by year-end.
