Key Highlights

  • Centaurus Metals generated 13 new targets at Boi Novo outside the Nelore prospects, and the two areas together cover about 75 square kilometres.
  • Soil sampling at Rio Novo outlined two copper-in-soil corridors, each about 5 kilometres long, with values up to 3,500 parts per million copper.
  • The company plans drilling for priority targets at both areas, with no timing or budget given in the announcement.

Centaurus Metals Limited (ASX:CTM) has released an update on its Boi Novo and Rio Novo copper-gold exploration areas in the Carajás region of Brazil. Boi Novo is 100 per cent owned and covers about 36.3 square kilometres. Rio Novo, a single licence of about 40 square kilometres to its north, was acquired from Ore Investments Ltda. Together they cover about 75 square kilometres, roughly double the earlier search area. The company has generated 13 new targets at Boi Novo outside the Nelore prospects and is planning a drilling program for priority targets at both areas, but no timing or budget was given. The results are exploration targets, not resources.

Rio Novo results

More than 4,500 soil samples have been collected at Rio Novo, with about 4,000 assays received. They outline two copper-in-soil corridors, each about 5 kilometres long and trending north-north-west. The eastern corridor reaches up to 3,500 parts per million copper, while the western reaches up to 2,000 parts per million. The company says the alteration is comparable with Nelore West and typical of Carajás iron oxide copper-gold systems.

At the Solimões prospect, artisanal workings extend over about 700 metres, and earlier drilling by Ore Investments returned 4.1 metres at 0.87 per cent copper and 2.29 grams per tonne gold. At Juruá, a continuous gold-in-soil anomaly of about one kilometre has rock chips of up to 45 grams per tonne gold. Trombetas has a 700 by 500 metre copper-in-soil anomaly of up to 2,000 parts per million. Rock chips are selective samples and may not represent wider mineralisation, and the historical drilling comes from previous owners.

Drone magnetics, completed in July 2026 over about 500 line-kilometres, mapped structures controlling the copper anomalies. Twelve ground electromagnetic loops covering 89.7 line-kilometres identified conductors that coincide with copper anomalies, with Amazonas and Juruá prioritised for follow-up.

Boi Novo

At Nelore West, copper mineralisation extends along a 500 metre corridor, plunges east-south-east and is cut off by a late granitic sill. The company plans deeper holes beneath the sill, with downhole electromagnetic surveys. Previous drilling there returned 36.7 metres at 1.58 per cent copper from 219.5 metres. At Nelore East earlier drilling returned 11.5 metres at 2.84 per cent copper and 0.90 grams per tonne gold from 91.9 metres. New targets include Zebu, a 1,500 by 700 metre copper-in-soil anomaly above 2,500 parts per million, where four historical holes do not explain the anomaly's extent, and Guzera, an 1,800 metre anomaly with a mapped gossan.

Access and tenure

Boi Novo is about 35 kilometres from Vale's copper-gold load-out facility, less than 20 kilometres from CoreX's Antas Norte flotation plant and about 30 kilometres from Parauapebas. Terrativa Minerais SA keeps a 2 per cent production Royalty on Boi Novo, convertible to a 25 per cent project interest if the tenements are sold to a third party. An application to extend the Rio Novo licence for a further three years has been submitted.

Next steps and caveats

For the rest of 2026 Centaurus Metals (ASX:CTM) plans final soil assays, more electromagnetic surveys over the magnetic structures, detailed mapping, finalising land access and ranking priority targets. It says it is evaluating strategic pathways to unlock value, while its stated corporate focus is advancing the Jaguar project towards a final Investment decision.

Some soil assays and electromagnetic processing are outstanding, and the company has no information on five historical holes at Nelore and Zebu. The announcement contains small inconsistencies between text and tables for the Solimões headline values and for copper at the Juruá rock chip. Forward-looking statements are management expectations, not guarantees.