American Pacific Mining has begun drill testing of a new target identified by a recent magnetotelluric (MT) inversion survey at its Madison copper-gold project in Montana, US.
Recent MT inversion modelling at Madison has identified two main conductive zones.
The primary focus is a substantial conductor that trends north-north-west to south-south-east.
According to American Pacific Mining, this conductor seems to follow the structural layout of the district and is located near significant fault corridors thought to have influenced the movement of mineralising fluids.
The sizeable conductive geophysical anomaly is situated in a part of the Madison project that has not previously been subject to drilling.
It spans roughly 2km in length and 600m in width, with current drilling plans aiming to reach a depth of around 800m.
Based on the results of the MT survey, there is a highly conductive core within the anomaly. Potential connectivity also exists between deeper and shallower conductive zones, possibly indicating alteration, carbonate replacement or skarn-related mineralisation.
The anomaly is spatially associated with the Silver Star fault corridor and associated splays. It is situated in an undrilled section of the project area.
Analysis of the MT inversion data indicates that the main conductor could be the result of structural development, hydrothermal alteration and possibly the presence of sulphide-rich mineralisation.
The company has noted that geophysical anomalies alone do not confirm the existence of mineralisation.
Despite this, the dimensions, shape, strength of conductivity and structural context of the anomaly have led to its selection as a leading drill target for the 2026 exploration programme.
The first hole in this new area is expected to yield valuable geological data. It could shed light on the lithology, alteration patterns, structural features, sulphide levels, and the possible association between the conductor and mineralisation.
The exploration plans for this year also include ongoing work on known skarn mineralisation and deeper intrusive-related targets across the Madison project.
American Pacific Mining exploration managing director Eric Saderholm said: “We have now received the final inversions of the MT survey conducted at Madison in March of this year.
“The resolution and clarity of the newly acquired MT data far surpass any historical geophysical techniques that have been used to understand the project, to date.”
Recently, the company commenced mobilisation of a planned 15,000m drilling programme at the Madison project, with the first of two drills currently on-site.
