Key Highlights

  • Structural mapping and rock chip sampling at a costean 400m south-west of Big One Pit 1 returned up to 1.30% CuO in situ.
  • Stockpile samples returned up to 7.76% CuO, and costean samples returned up to 1.67% CuO.
  • The shear orientation at the costean matches the mineralised fault in Big One Pits 1, 2 and 3.
  • The costean lies in a heritage-cleared area and can be included as a target in the next drill program.

New Frontier Minerals Limited (ASX:NFM) has reported structural mapping and rock chip sampling at a historical costean along strike from its Big One Deposit, within the NWQ Copper Project in north-west Queensland. The announcement dated 11 November 2026 follows a field program conducted between 28 September and 1 October 2026, which followed up a copper anomaly defined along the same structure.

The costean results

The costean is about 400m south-west of Big One Pit 1 and exposes an in-situ shear zone about one metre deep. Six rock chip samples were collected from the costean, an adjacent stockpile and near Pit 1. In-situ samples along the shear returned up to 1.30% CuO, while a stockpile sample returned up to 7.76% CuO. Costean samples returned up to 1.67% CuO.

Copper oxide minerals were observed within altered trachyte dyke and adjacent haematite-altered sedimentary rock along the shear. The company said the alteration includes bleached, vesicular material infilled with malachite.

Structure and the link to the known pits

The dominant shearing plane measured about 80 degrees towards 060 degrees. The company said this matches the mineralised fault that hosts the Big One pits, and supports its view that the mineralised structure continues along strike beyond the historical workings.

Copper mineralisation at Big One has been traced along at least 600m of strike, with roughly 200m exploited by historical open pits. The costean sits about 400m further south-west, largely under cover, in a part of the structure that has not been drill-tested.

Sampling limits and the next drill program

The highest grades come from selective and stockpile samples, which do not represent the average grade of the structure. The company said the stockpile was sampled as a selective sample of stockpiled material, so the 7.76% CuO result should not be read as a grade for the deposit.

The costean area lies within a heritage-cleared zone and can now be included as a target in the company’s next drill program at Big One. Until that drilling is completed, the depth, width and continuity of the mineralisation along the extension remain unknown.

Final Word

New Frontier has used structural mapping and sampling to extend the Big One targeting southward along a fault that has not been drilled. The next drill program will test whether the copper oxide mineralisation seen at surface continues along the structure beyond the historical pits.