American Pacific Mining has reported that a second drill rig is now operating at its fully owned Madison Copper-Gold Project in Montana, US, focusing on testing near-surface skarn targets.

The reverse circulation (RC) drill rig has started work as part of an ongoing, fully funded 15,000m drill programme that includes both diamond core and RC drilling.

According to the company, the current campaign is designed to investigate both shallow skarn targets and deeper porphyry-style mineralisation.

The management believes these areas could support a substantial copper-gold system.

The RC rig will test multiple near-surface skarn targets that share geological characteristics with the historic Madison and Broadway mines area.

This location has a record of high-grade copper and gold production.

The latest drill targets have been selected to build on earlier exploration work and could help identify additional shallow mineralisation.

American Pacific indicated that these results may inform the first mineral resource estimate for Madison, which is scheduled for 2027.

The current campaign aims to determine the potential to expand the known mineralised zone around the skarn system.

American Pacific Mining exploration managing director Eric Saderholm said: “With RC drilling now under way to test multiple near-surface skarn targets and the core rig already stepping into the deeper porphyry environment, we are now in a position to generate steady results through the summer and, we hope, demonstrate the true scale of this system.

“If we are successful in extending the known mineralisation and vectoring into a larger copper-gold system, we believe Madison has the potential to become a cornerstone asset that can drive meaningful value for our shareholders.”