A second hole drilled at VT1 then hauled up 46 metres of light disseminated copper-iron sulphides from 69m depth, including sniffs of pyrrhotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite.
Although that hole missed the main conductive body, a follow-up down-hole electromagnetic (DHEM) survey raised more than a few eyebrows after it identified no less than six tightly folded plates, stretching more than 400 metres, hinting at a much larger and highly fertile system.
The company says the broader picture at Oonagalabi is now starting to come together, thanks to its new 3D magnetic inversion mapping. What appears to be emerging is a potentially large intrusion-related sulphide system sitting at depth and plunging to the north, with disseminated mineralisation nearer surface likely formed by fluids flowing upwards from a hidden intrusive structure below.
Litchfield’s VT1 target lies about 5.4kms southwest of, and on the same mineralised trend as the VT2 conductor – one of the company’s other priority targets.
Both targets lie on the opposite limb of a north-south fold structure interpreted from a collection of outcrops, which appear to emanate from the main Oonagalabi cluster on the western limb.
Once the VT1 work is wrapped up, the focus will shift to VT2 for another round of ground surveying, designed to investigate its deeper reaches following earlier VTEM and EM studies.
In mid-October, hole 11 was drilled into VT2 and hit an impressive 168-metre section of patchy sulphides, including two intervals from 199 to 204 metres and from 246 to 256 metres carrying semi-massive to massive sulphides. Assay results are now pending.
If the weather holds before the wet season, the Bomb-Diggity cluster sitting in the nose of the fold is next in line for surveying. That target area is dripping with IP chargeability, magnetic highs, gravity responses and multiple VTEM conductors, giving company geologists plenty of hotspots to chase down.
On the drilling front, contractor Bullion Drilling has just finished a five-hole program, each averaging 300m in depth. The main focus has been to collect structural data across the Oonagalabi Main Zone, test magnetic features through the central corridor and at Bomb-Diggity, alongside redrilling the VT2 conductor from a better angle.
Litchfield Minerals managing director Matthew Pustahya said: “Since the last drill campaign, we have completed IP surveys, drilled a further 5 holes, and commenced a ground EM program across multiple high-priority targets, to further refine drilling targets. We look forward to continuing this momentum into year-end, ensuring we have strong datasets to enter 2026 with confidence, ready for further drilling early next year.”
With fresh geophysics on the go, multiple sulphide hits under its belt and assays still to come, Litchfield is shaping up as one of the Northern Territory’s more aggressive copper hunters.
The company now has a pipeline of targets, a swelling body of technical data and a geological story that appears to be getting bigger by the week.
If the next round of EM and drilling delivers what the early clues suggest, 2026 could be the year Oonagalabi steps out of the shadows and onto the main stage.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
