HALF-YEARLY REPORT 2022
Tertiary Minerals plc announces its unaudited interim results for the six-month period ended 31 March 2022.
Operational highlights:
Tertiary continued to develop its project portfolio, focused on copper opportunities in Zambia and Nevada. Most notably activities included:
· Completing environmental permitting for the Jacks Copper Project in Zambia, collecting historic data and completing additional surface geochemical studies in order to bring the project to drill-ready status;
· Planning a first phase of core drilling at Jacks comprising an orientation programme designed to establish copper grades and an improved understanding of the geometry of mineralised zones identified by historic work;
· Expanding Option & JV agreements with local partners covering four further licences which gives the Company access to over 1,200 km2 across the Central African Copperbelt (the “Copperbelt”) and over an area 20 km east of the past-producing high-grade Kalengwa copper mine;
· Continuing to evaluate additional opportunities across the Copperbelt in Zambia and elsewhere; and
· Completing permitting for the next phase of exploration at the Brunton Pass Copper Project in Nevada which will commence in the coming months.
Zambia
Tertiary has begun field operations in Zambia. The Company planned a first phase of core drilling at the Jacks Copper Project during the period and drilling has since commenced. Historic exploration results at Jacks indicate a 16km long open-ended soil geochemical anomaly associated with rocks of the Lower Roan Subgroup. The Lower Roan Subgroup is typically associated with many of the stratiform copper deposits of the Copperbelt in Zambia. At Jacks, a large-scale fold and a series of folding events and faulting/shearing is in evidence from historic work. This first phase of drilling is the first step to gathering improved spatial data on the location and geometry of known mineralisation and an understanding of the associated structural setting.
The historic core and reverse circulation drilling at Jacks targeted just two small areas where soil anomalies were most pronounced. Historic intersections include an interval of 23.95m grading at 1.26% copper (including 1.88m grading at 2.93% copper).
In addition to Jacks, additional agreements are now in place with the Company’s existing Zambian partner, Mwashia Resources Limited, giving the Company the right to earn up to 90% of four other licences located across the Copperbelt and in the North-Western Province. As with Jacks, the Lubuila, Mukai and Konkola West projects all target the Lower Roan Subgroup. The Mushima North project lies westwards of the past-producing Kalengwa copper mine, believed to be one of the highest grade copper deposits to have been mined in Zambia. Work is underway to provide the necessary supporting materials for the submission of environmental project briefs with the Zambia Environmental Management Agency for permitting of exploration activities on these licences. The process is most advanced for the Lubuila project and is expected to be concluded in the coming months with the others to follow later in the year. In the meantime, desktop studies and the acquisition of historic data has begun.
Nevada
A first phase of reverse circulation drilling at the Pyramid Silver-Gold Project in Nevada has not demonstrated mineralisation at depth. The continuity of grade at surface and the evidence of significant underground workings suggested a compelling drill target. The limited reverse circulation programme was conducted on schedule and below budget. Apart from rehabilitation, no further expenditure is planned at Pyramid and cumulative exploration costs of £361,379 have been impaired.
A permit for the next phase of exploration at the Brunton Pass Copper Project was issued in mid-April and the planned trenching programme across the main copper anomaly will commence shortly, alongside further investigation into the potential for gold and silver mineralisation on the property. Initial reconnaissance sampling resulted in multiple samples grading higher than 1% copper as well as a 2.44m channel sample grading 4.66% copper. The trenching programme will test for mineralisation at the primary target in the south of the project which is intrusion-related skarn copper mineralisation overprinted by a later mineralising episode which may represent the high levels of an epithermal system prospective for gold and silver. Trenching is also planned to investigate secondary targets in the northern area of the project.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY FOR THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD ENDED 31 MARCH 2022:
· Operating Loss of £604,213 comprises:
o Revenue of £89,906; less Administration costs of £305,933 (which includes non-cash share-based payments of £29,237).
o Pre-licence and reconnaissance exploration costs totalling £26,807.
o Impairment of deferred exploration asset of £361,379 relating to Pyramid project in Nevada, US. This project was fully impaired following a series of phases of exploration across the property, most recently drilling at North Ruth.
· Total Group Loss of £604,193 is after crediting interest income of £20.
· Project expenditure of £222,876 was capitalised during the six-month period.
Funding and Cash Position:
· In January 2022, the Company completed a fundraising with Peterhouse Capital Limited raising £600,000 before expenses.
· The closing cash (and cash equivalent) position at the end of the period was £620,626.