Kaoko Metals (ASX:KAO) has hit the accelerator at Chalkos, expanding its diamond drilling program to at least 15,000m and putting a second rig to work at Donkey Hill.
Five diamond holes have already been completed, a sixth is underway, and assays from DDOT001 and DDOT002 are expected within two to three weeks.
Donkey Hill gets 700 metres bigger
The latest fieldwork has also opened up Donkey Hill East.
Selected rock-chip sampling returned copper grades of over 50% Cu, while the known surface trend has been extended by over 700m.
That takes the total mapped copper footprint across Donkey Hill to over 1.5km.
The headline grade is from a selected surface sample and is not representative of the broader prospect, but the bigger development is the growing scale of the mapped system.
Figure 1: Donkey Hill area with – surface rock-chip samples copper mineralisation showing total 1,500m mapped mineralised footprint.
One target becomes two active fronts
Kaoko now has two rigs working simultaneously.
The first remains at Otniel, where drilling is testing down-dip and lateral extensions and building out the geometry of the mineralised system.
The second has started at Donkey Hill, targeting the depth and continuity of the copper already mapped at surface.
That gives Kaoko the ability to test two priority prospects at once rather than waiting for one program to finish before starting the next.
Figure 2: Otniel Prospect. Hole DDOT006 testing down-dip extension in progress.
More than just one high-grade sample
Fieldwork at Donkey Hill East has identified more than isolated copper occurrences.
Kaoko has mapped stockwork copper veining, relict sulphide mineralisation and dioptase across the prospect, with the company interpreting these features as evidence of structural and hydrothermal controls operating across a broad area.
That is what the next phase of drilling now has to test at depth.
First assays become the key catalyst
The geology has given Kaoko enough confidence to scale up.
Now the market gets the numbers.
Assays from the first two Otniel holes are expected within around two to three weeks, with later holes being fast-tracked through the laboratory.
Those results should provide the first hard read on copper grades and mineralised intervals from the current program.
What comes next
Kaoko will continue step-out drilling at Otniel, keep drilling Donkey Hill and begin orientation geophysics across Chalkos using drone magnetics and ground IP.
The company is also continuing mapping, sampling and structural work across its roughly 400km² landholding.
The setup is now simple.
Two rigs, two active targets, a growing copper footprint, and first assays due shortly…
