Ruddygore Project
The Ruddygore Project contains a number of targets that were mined in the early 1900s but have not been subject to meaningful modern exploration since. These include a major copper-silver porphyry target at the Ruddygore mine, the Maniopota lead-zinc-copper-gold-silver skarn deposit and the sediment hosted silver-lead-zinc Torpy’s Crooked Creek mine. These deposits sit within an extensive mineralised corridor containing the nearby Red Dome and Mungana mines, with a combined pre-mine inventory of 3.6 Moz of gold, 180,000 tonnes of copper and 26 Moz of silver.
Geological mapping of the Ruddygore mine area by Ballymore identified a large circular zone of extensive hydrothermal alteration with a coincident polymetallic copper-lead-zinc +/- silver-arsenic-bismuth-tin soil
anomaly over an area of 2,800 m x 1,900 m that is open to the south.
Recent drilling at Ruddygore has recognised shallow copper mineralisation which will be the subject of follow-up drilling.
In addition, a soil sampling program at Torpy’s Crooked Creek highlighted a strong northeast trending lead-zinc-silver-arsenic anomaly that extends over an area of 800 m x 270 m. The anomaly remains open along strike to the northeast and southwest.
Field work at Maniopota has recognised high-grade swarm-hosted mineralisation similar in style to Red Dome and Mungana.
Tenements
The Ruddygore Project is located adjacent to the regional centre of Chillagoe in north Queensland and consists of four granted EPMs with an area of 558 km2. The exploration permits include Ruddygore EPM 14015, Metal Hills EPM 15047, EPM 15053 and Scardons EPM 27840.
Previous Mining
The Ruddygore Mine was mined from 1896 to 1909 by open cut and shaft access to underground. The mine yielded 1,450 tons of copper from 32,750 tons of handpicked ore at an average grade of 3.9% Cu and 56 g/t Ag.
The Maniopota mine is a skarn deposit mined for lead, zinc, and silver. No production records have been found for this site, but it hosts a series of small pits over 1 km strike length.
The Torpy’s Crooked Creek mine operated from 1904 –1914 when production included 6,000 tons of ore yielding 84,000 oz silver and 920 tons of lead at average grades of 15.3% Pb and 435 g/t Ag.
Exploration Program
The Ruddygore exploration program will explore the historic mining areas (e.g. Ruddygore, Torpy’s Crooked Creek, Maniopota) in parallel with new exploration to advance many prospective target areas that are less advanced.
Planned works for Ruddygore, Torpy’s Crooked Creek and Maniopota include IP surveys and detailed drilling. Other works will include prospecting of historic workings, mapping of various prospects including Maniopota and Scardons Hill, infill stream sediment sampling, soil sampling at regional targets and an airborne magnetic survey. Reverse circulation (RC) drilling programs are also planned to test regional targets.
