Coppermoly (ASX: COY) has stepped up early-stage exploration across its copper-gold prospects in the Mount Isa region of North-West Queensland.

The junior explorer commenced a ground magnetic survey and geochemical sampling at its Fox Creek project near Cloncurry during the June quarter.

Main image: CopperMoly tenements

The work covered the Miss Lorna Hit copper-gold prospect, which hosts historical mining sites and aeromagnetic anomalies but no existing electromagnetic data.

Nearby, the Williams prospect carries regional copper stream-sediment and geophysical anomalies the company interprets as Ernest Henry-style copper-gold mineralisation.

At the Windy Hill prospect, a mineralised breccia in volcanic rocks, the company sees potential for copper-gold linked to magnetite, like Ernest Henry and Osborne.

Coppermoly also planned geochemical sampling over a new, unnamed copper target at Windy Hill flagged by historical lead-zinc anomalies.

It planned follow-up ground magnetic surveys at Windy Hill, Dynamite and the Rennies prospect, subject to funding being allocated.

At Dynamite, the survey would test repetitions of regional aeromagnetic anomalies, while at Rennies it would seek the source of historical geophysical anomalies.

The Cloncurry district is home to the Ernest Henry copper-gold mine, a benchmark for the iron-oxide style Coppermoly is targeting.

Coppermoly holds five granted exploration permits across the Mt Isa Inlier, a belt prospective for iron-oxide copper-gold and shear-hosted deposits.

Related: A development history of CopperMoly

The five Queensland permits cover about 1,500 square kilometres of the Cloncurry district, and the company holds two further applications there.

It withdrew an application over the Jessievale block during the quarter, and undertook no mining or production.

The company said a refreshed management and geological team, led by managing director Dickson Leah, was focused on accelerating exploration of its Queensland targets.

Coppermoly ended the quarter with cash of just $331,000, having spent $52,000 on exploration.

Related-party payments of $50,400 during the quarter comprised managing director fees.

The modest balance underpinned its plan to progress further Queensland surveys only as funding allowed.

Coppermoly also progressed its Wyemandoo tungsten and critical-minerals project in Western Australia, acquired in March, with sampling and about 1,500 metres of drilling planned next quarter.