State backs explorers with $4.6m grants round

Copper is the focus of almost three quarters of all successful projects under Queensland's latest Collaborative Exploration Initiative (CEI) grants round. The initiative is providing a total of $4.6 million to 18 projects across regional Queensland including sites near Chillagoe, Cloncurry, Mount Isa, Townsville, and Proserpine. Related: Boost for True North’s Vero copper search “Queensland companies are on the hunt for minerals that will power tomorrow’s world,” Resources and Critical Minerals Minister Scott Stewart said. “This funding provides a financial safety net for explorers to take on projects in the hope that it will lead to important discoveries. “We want Queensland to mine, process, and manufacture those new economy minerals to create jobs and produce royalties that will fund Queensland schools, hospitals and roads. “You can’t have a renewable energy without a resources sector, and you can’t have a healthy resources sector without exploration. “By facilitating these exploratory projects, we are not only laying the groundwork for economic prosperity but also reinforcing Queensland's position as a key player in the global resources market. “It’s this government that is backing the resources industry through programs like this as well as the establishment of the Critical Minerals Queensland office in Townsville.” The State Government has committed $22.6 million over five years to the CEI program under the Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan. The CEI program complements the Queensland Critical Minerals Strategy, which oversees $245 million in investment. The latest round of CEI funding will support the following projects: AIC Mines will evaluate the usefulness of magnetotelluric surveying in the exploration for iron-sulphide-copper-gold mineral systems in the Eastern Fold belt of the Mount Isa Inlier. Ballymore Resources will conduct gradient airborne magnetic-radiometric surveys in the Bowen-Proserpine and Chillagoe regions. Cooper Metals will conduct a regional gravity survey over about 300sq km at 500m station spacing with detailed infill profile lines over the Brumby Ridge copper-gold prospect. Copper Green will focus on determining the ion adsorption potential and lateral extent of mineralisation to confirm the rare-earth elements are of ionic adsorption clay-hosted style in an area located south of Mount Garnet. Graphinex will target a large graphite orebody with a planned deep drill hole 70km south of Croydon. Hammer Metals will drill two diamond holes at the Hardway copper, gold, yttrium and heavy rare-earth element (Y-HREE) prospect and conduct a comprehensive analytical study of the acquired core. Iltani Resources will drill a diamond drillhole located on EPM 27223, about 20km west of Herberton targeting an epithermal zinc-indium-lead-silver deposit with an underlying deep porphyry copper-tin system. Mount Isa Mines will conduct an airborne electromagnetic survey over the Buckley West area 80km north-west of Mount Isa targeting structurally hosted copper deposits of the Mount Isa, Lady Annie or Gunpowder style and stratabound zinc-lead-silver deposits of the Lady Loretta-style. Mt Cuthbert Resources will conduct a 3D ANT (Ambient Noise Tomography) survey including data processing and velocity-depth modelling at an existing copper mine (Crusader) north-east of Mount Isa for the exploration of copper and cobalt. NeoDys will drill 78 aircore holes into potentially light rare-earth-element (LREE)-enriched alluvial sediments within the Barkly Tableland adjacent the western margin of the Mount Isa Inlier. Red Metal will drill test targets in Queensland's North-West Mineral Province. Red Ox Copper will explore for concealed copper mineralisation in the Julia Creek region, using a detailed airborne gravity survey to confirm favourable geology and help target drilling. Renegade Exploration will conduct a single deep diamond drillhole to test a discrete pipe-like magnetic high at the Mongoose copper-cobalt-gold deposit south of Cloncurry. Superior Resources will conduct two deep diamond drill holes (1700m total) at the Bottletree prospect. Traka Resources will conduct a drilling program to test the Typhoon target for copper, cobalt, lead zinc and silver mineralisation in the highly prospective South Nicholson Basin area near Doomadgee. True North Copper will conduct 25.6-line km of deep penetrating 2D-3D dipole-dipole induced polarisation, resistivity and combined magnetotelluric survey at a project north of Mount Isa. You may also like: https://industryqld.com.au/cash-boost-for-hammers-hardway-efforts https://industryqld.com.au/iltani-delves-deep-with-cei-backing-for-indium-project https://industryqld.com.au/ballymore-secures-exploration-grants-for-new-surveys

State backs explorers with $4.6m grants round

Industry Queensland

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