# Broken Hill Gold Initiates Deep Drilling at White Dam Copper-Gold Project

Geophysical anomalies suggest a massive IOCG system beneath existing South Australian gold deposits.

- **Source:** [Sydney Morning Herald - Business](https://www.smh.com.au/rss/business.xml)
- **Published:** 2026-10-15
- **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business)
- **Original article:** <https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/broken-hill-lines-up-drill-bit-on-huge-copper-gold-target-in-sa-20261015-p615y4.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_business>
- **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/f419215b-fac8-4d68-8dfc-d3de2f7faace

## Strategic Drilling Campaign Launch

Broken Hill Gold has commenced a 3000-metre drilling campaign at the White Dam project in South Australia. This initiative aims to test major geophysical targets identified beneath recent high-grade copper-gold hits. The company seeks to determine if several existing deposits can be linked into one large, cohesive mineralized system at depth.

## Geophysical Anomaly Identification

Recent induced polarisation and ground magnetic surveys revealed a 1.5-square-kilometre chargeability anomaly. This feature coincides with a one-square-kilometre magnetic anomaly located beneath the Icebreaker discovery. These findings suggest the project, previously focused on gold, may host a significant iron oxide copper gold system, a geological structure often associated with large-scale deposits.

## Icebreaker Discovery Context

The high-grade sulphide system at Icebreaker was discovered accidentally while drilling through a shallow 20,400-ounce oxide gold resource. This breakthrough revealed a richer gold-copper sulphide zone underneath. Current geophysical data indicates that this initial discovery might represent only a small portion of a much larger, deeper mineralized system waiting to be explored.

## Targeting Eastern and Northwestern Zones

Surveys defined two primary features, including a shallower northwestern anomaly and a much stronger eastern anomaly. The eastern target displays chargeability readings six times the background level, trending north from the historic Hannaford deposit. These anomalies suggest potential extensions of the known copper-gold system, both along the strike and at significant depths.

## Regional Geological Significance

The White Dam project is situated within the Curnamona Province, a region famous for major IOCG deposits. Nearby, the Kalkaroo project hosts 1.1 million tonnes of copper and 3.1 million ounces of gold. Sandfire Resources recently secured an 80 percent stake in Kalkaroo for A$222.6 million, highlighting the intense industry interest in this specific area.

## Connecting Existing Mineral Deposits

The Hannaford, Icebreaker, and Rolling prospects are positioned around the margins of the newly identified geophysical anomalies. Historical drilling in these areas averaged only 50 metres in depth, leaving the deeper sections largely untested. The company believes these deposits may form part of a single, massive alteration system that requires deeper investigation.

## Technical Drilling Execution Plan

The company is deploying reverse circulation and diamond drilling to probe the system for the first time. Deeper diamond holes are designed to reach depths of up to 400 metres to test the northwestern and eastern anomalies. This campaign represents the first serious effort to evaluate the potential of the deeper, high-intensity geophysical features.

## Potential for Corporate Transformation

White Dam currently produces gold doré, providing a self-funded platform for ongoing exploration activities. If drilling results confirm the geophysical theory, Broken Hill Gold could transform from a modest gold producer into a significant copper-gold operator. This transition would mark a shift toward a district-scale discovery, potentially increasing the project's overall commercial value.

## Sources covering this story

- https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/broken-hill-lines-up-drill-bit-on-huge-copper-gold-target-in-sa-20261015-p615y4.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_business — 

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_Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._
