PERTH (miningweekly.com) – A pit optimisation study into the recently discovered Turkey Creek deposit, in Queensland, has the potential to add up to two-and-a-half years to the mine life of the proposed Little Eva project, owner Altona Mining said on Monday.

The Turkey Creek deposit is estimated to host an oxide and sulphide mineral resource of 17.3-million tonnes, grading 0.51% copper for 87 000 t of contained copper. If only sulphide ore is considered, the mineral resource stood at 10.6-million tonnes, grading 0.47% copper for 50 000 t of contained copper.

The deposit lies some 1.5 km from the planned Little Eva openpit mine and was within Altona’s granted mining leases.

“The study demonstrates that the Little Eva mine life will easily exceed 11 years and that the mining and treatment of copper oxide mineralisation through the proposed Little Eva plant, even at low recoveries, could add significant value to the project,” said Altona MD Alistair Cowden.

“Numerous deposits in the wider Cloncurry project have oxide caps and Altona will report on all oxide resources in the coming months.”

Altona recently inked a A$345-million joint venture (JV) agreement with Chinese road, bridge and rail construction company Sichuan Railway Investment Group over the company’s copper/gold projects, in north-west Queensland, including Little Eva.

A definitive feasibility study into Little Eva anticipated the construction of a seven-million-tonne-a-year openpit flotation and mine plant, capable of producing 39 000 t/y copper and 17 000 oz gold over an initial mine life of 11 years.

Cowden said on Monday that the proposed JV would consider developing a significant inventory of oxide across the project, further enhancing the attractiveness of the copper development project.

Meanwhile, metallurgical drilling, definitive testwork, geotechnical and mine design studies at Turkey Creek would be undertaken in the coming months to bring the deposit’s mineral resource into ore reserve status.