Patriot Resources Limited (ASX:PAT) has confirmed a new polymetallic discovery at its Tonic prospect, located within the company’s 100%-owned Kitumba exploration licence in Zambia. The maiden reverse circulation drilling program successfully intercepted copper, silver, zinc, and cobalt mineralisation from surface, validating the company’s internal geological model. Standout results from discovery hole TBRC03 include 1m at 2.56% Cu, 62.3g/t Ag, and 0.76% Zn from 55m.

The drilling campaign targeted a ~1km by 0.8km zone of coincident geophysical chargeability previously identified through trenching and mapping. The mineralisation appears to be a structurally controlled hydrothermal system hosted within Katanga Supergroup mudstones and shales. Crucially, the discovery remains open in all directions. Several holes were terminated prematurely due to water ingress and fractured ground, suggesting the system may extend further at depth than the initial testing confirmed.

"This is a proud moment for our team. The Tonic prospect appears to be a genuine Greenfields discovery, the team took an undrilled target, advanced it through mapping, trenching and geophysics, and has now established copper-silver-zinc-cobalt mineralisation from surface via its maiden drilling program. The result gives us an exciting opportunity to test depth and strike extensions. While Tassa remains our flagship development priority, Tonic provides compelling optionality, located within 18kms of a new copper processing and smelting facility."

— Dominic Duggan, Managing Director & CEO

The company recently consolidated its position at the project by acquiring the final 20% interest in the exploration licence for US$50,000. While Patriot advances follow-up drilling at Tonic, it is also managing an expression-of-interest process for the divestment of its Gorman Lithium Project in Canada. This focus shift highlights a broader effort to optimize the portfolio and concentrate capital on core assets as the company moves into the next phase of technical evaluation.

Read the full announcement: Maiden Drilling Confirms High-Grade Copper Discovery Zambia