Fitzroy Minerals Inc. (TSXV: FTZ, OTCQX: FTZFF, FSE: C3Y) announced results of an integrated seismic and machine-learning (ML) targeting study completed with Fleet Space Technologies at the Buen Retiro Copper Project in Copiapo, Chile. The study generated nine ranked, previously untested target areas within 400 metres of surface, and the company has started a 5,000-metre drilling program to test them.
The ML model combined 3D Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) data with prior geophysical surveys, geological models, and approximately 24,400 copper assays from 140 drill holes. Fleet’s regional and infill ANT surveys mapped the project’s deeper geology well beyond the depths of current drilling, using natural seismic noise to build a 3D picture of the rock beneath the surface. This gives Fitzroy a 3D framework to trace known mineralized trends and identify new opportunities, including toward the 100%-owned Sierra Fritis properties to the east, despite extensive alluvial gravel cover that makes surface mapping difficult.
The targeting method followed four steps: prediction, where the ML model learned the relationship between geophysical data and copper assays to estimate copper mineralization above a 0.5% Cu threshold within 25-metre blocks; refinement, where blocks within the mined-out open pit, mapped gravel cover, or within 200 metres of an existing drill hole were removed; domains, where remaining blocks were grouped into nine geographic areas; and drill planning. The targets are designed to complement, not replace, Fitzroy’s own geological interpretation and drill planning.
Merlin Marr-Johnson, President and CEO of Fitzroy, commented: “We believe Buen Retiro shares many of the geological characteristics of the major iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposits at Candelaria and Mantoverde, yet the sulphide potential of the wider property has barely been tested. To date, the oxide copper mineralisation and its potential to support a low-capital-intensity, near-term production operation have been the focus. Now, however, we have a tool with which to test the exploration optionality of this large IOCG system in one of Chile’s most prolific copper-producing regions. By combining advanced 3D subsurface imaging with machine learning and our extensive drilling database, we can now identify and prioritise blind exploration targets beneath the gravel cover. If the ML targeting is successful it will be a cost-effective discovery tool, creating value for shareholders.”
The input data combined four 3D geophysical datasets with geology and copper assay results from drilling; a summary of the 4 datasets and copper assay results used in the new ML targeting is available. As drill logs and assay results come in, Fitzroy and Fleet will use the new data to update the ML model, so each new drill hole serves three purposes: testing a specific target, improving or validating the ML model, and helping to inform the next drilling decision.
The new exploration domains are conceptual targets that have not yet been tested by drilling. They mark areas where the combined geophysical and assay data look similar to Buen Retiro’s known zones of copper mineralization, but they do not confirm the presence, grade, size or continuity of mineralization. The reliability of the model depends on the quality and coverage of the underlying data and tends to decrease with distance from existing drill holes and with depth, so the targets are intended to be used alongside conventional geological interpretation, not in place of it. The announcement was distributed via NEWMEDIAWIRE.
Dr. Scott Jobin-Bevans (P.Geo., Ph.D., PMP), a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and independent geological consultant to the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical information in the release and verified the data disclosed, including the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the technical information.
The news matters because it applies advanced seismic imaging and machine learning to target blind copper mineralization beneath gravel cover at a project Fitzroy believes shares characteristics with major IOCG deposits. If successful, the approach could be a cost-effective discovery tool and may unlock the sulphide potential of a large system in a prolific copper region, with implications for shareholders and for exploration strategy in Chile.
