CopperCorp Resources has started diamond drilling work at the Jukes Zone target area on its Razorback Copper-Gold-REE property in Tasmania, Australia.

This initial drilling programme includes two diamond drill holes, aiming to extend high-grade copper-gold mineralisation.

The results from this programme will inform future drilling plans and ongoing surface sampling, CopperCorp said.

The drilling campaign is set to explore depth extensions of high-grade copper-gold mineralisation, with an initial focus on two holes totalling up to 400m.

CopperCorp holds approvals for up to 1,320m of drilling across four sites at Jukes, with potential extensions based on initial findings and concurrent surface sampling.

The Jukes prospect, a historical site of mining activity, is situated 10km south of the Mt Lyell copper mine.

CopperCorp's drilling aims to test a new geological model that suggests a larger, north-north-west-trending mineralisation system.

Historical exploration at Jukes, including drilling in the 1970s and 1980s, yielded significant intercepts. However, these efforts did not fully explore the potential of the now-recognised larger mineralisation system.

No drilling has been conducted at Jukes since the 1980s, but CopperCorp's recent geophysical studies and 3D modelling have identified promising magnetic and gravity anomalies indicative of a structurally controlled mineralised system.

CopperCorp president and CEO Stephen Swatton said: “We are excited to commence the drilling at Jukes as scheduled. This programme coincides with the start of the Tasmanian summer in which the Company will step up work programmes at several of its copper-gold targets located within the Razorback, southern end of Walford Peak and Linda South licences.

“Over the past two months the company has undertaken a comprehensive surface sampling programme at Jukes, the results of which will be released over the next month. Sampling turnaround times in the assay laboratory for rock and drill samples are currently 2–3 weeks.”