Ivanhoe Mines Announces Discovery of Copper Mineralization on Surface at Project Licences in Kazakhstan
Ivanhoe Mines (OTCQX: IVPAF) has announced significant discoveries in its Kazakhstan exploration project within the Chu-Sarysu Basin, the world's third-largest sediment-hosted copper basin. The company has identified surface copper mineralization at the Merke licence, featuring a 20-metre thick zone with samples yielding 1.0% to 5.0% copper.
A major 15,000-metre diamond drill campaign has commenced across their 16,000 km² licence package. The first drilling is targeting the Glubokoe licence, following up on Soviet-era findings that showed three copper-bearing intervals over 26 metres.
This exploration is part of Ivanhoe's joint venture with Pallas Resources, formed in February 2025. Ivanhoe will sole-fund up to $18.7 million over the first two years and can earn up to 80% stake in seven projects for a maximum consideration of $115 million over four years.
Ivanhoe Mines (OTCQX: IVPAF) ha comunicato importanti scoperte nel suo progetto esplorativo in Kazakistan, nella bacino Chu-Sarysu, il terzo più grande al mondo per rame sedimentario. Alla licenza di Merke è stata rilevata mineralizzazione di rame in superficie, con una zona spessa 20 metri i cui campioni hanno restituito concentrazioni di rame tra l'1,0% e il 5,0%.
È partita una vasta campagna di perforazione diamantina di 15.000 metri sull'intero pacchetto di licenze di 16.000 km². Le prime trivellazioni mirano alla licenza di Glubokoe, per approfondire i risultati dell'epoca sovietica che avevano evidenziato tre intervalli mineralizzati per un totale di 26 metri.
Questa esplorazione rientra nella joint venture con Pallas Resources, costituita a febbraio 2025. Ivanhoe si impegna a finanziare in esclusiva fino a 18,7 milioni di dollari nei primi due anni e può acquisire fino a una quota dell'80% in sette progetti, per un esborso massimo complessivo di 115 milioni di dollari nell'arco di quattro anni.
Ivanhoe Mines (OTCQX: IVPAF) ha anunciado descubrimientos significativos en su proyecto de exploración en Kazajistán, dentro la cuenca Chu-Sarysu, la tercera mayor cuenca de cobre sedimentario del mundo. En la licencia de Merke se ha identificado mineralización de cobre en superficie, con una zona de 20 metros de espesor cuyos muestreos arrojaron concentraciones de cobre entre el 1,0% y el 5,0%.
Se ha iniciado una campaña de perforación diamantina de 15.000 metros a lo largo de su paquete de licencias de 16.000 km². Las primeras perforaciones se dirigen a la licencia Glubokoe, dando continuidad a hallazgos de la era soviética que mostraron tres intervalos portadores de cobre en un total de 26 metros.
Esta exploración forma parte de la empresa conjunta con Pallas Resources, establecida en febrero de 2025. Ivanhoe financiará en exclusiva hasta 18,7 millones de dólares durante los primeros dos años y podrá obtener hasta un 80% de participación en siete proyectos, por un importe máximo de 115 millones de dólares en cuatro años.
Ivanhoe Mines (OTCQX: IVPAF)는 세계에서 세 번째로 큰 퇴적구조 동(구리) 분지인 Chu-Sarysu 분지에서 카자흐스탄 탐사 프로젝트의 중대한 발견을 발표했습니다. Merke 허가구역에서는 지표 구리 광화가 확인되었으며, 두께 20미터 구간의 시료에서 구리 1.0%~5.0%가 검출되었습니다.
전체 16,000 km² 면적의 허가구역에서 15,000미터 규모의 다이아몬드 시추 캠페인이 시작되었습니다. 최초 시추는 Glubokoe 허가구역을 대상으로 하며, 26미터에 걸쳐 세 개의 구리 함유 구간이 확인된 소련 시기 조사 결과를 후속 확인하는 목적입니다.
이 탐사는 2025년 2월 설립된 Pallas Resources와의 합작투자의 일환입니다. Ivanhoe는 처음 2년 동안 최대 1,870만 달러를 단독 자금으로 투입하며, 총 4년 동안 최대 1억1,500만 달러를 지불해 7개 프로젝트에서 최대 지분 80%까지 취득할 수 있습니다.
Ivanhoe Mines (OTCQX: IVPAF) a annoncé des découvertes significatives dans son projet d'exploration au Kazakhstan, au sein du bassin Chu-Sarysu, le troisième plus grand bassin de cuivre sédimentaire au monde. Sur la licence Merke, une minéralisation cuprifère en surface a été identifiée, avec une zone de 20 mètres d'épaisseur dont les échantillons ont montré des teneurs en cuivre de 1,0% à 5,0%.
Une importante campagne de forage diamanté de 15 000 mètres a été lancée sur leur portefeuille de licences de 16 000 km². Les premiers forages visent la licence Glubokoe, pour suivre les résultats de l'ère soviétique qui avaient révélé trois intervalles porteurs de cuivre totalisant 26 mètres.
Cette exploration s'inscrit dans le cadre d'une coentreprise avec Pallas Resources, créée en février 2025. Ivanhoe financera en exclusivité jusqu'à 18,7 millions de dollars au cours des deux premières années et peut gagner jusqu'à 80% de participation dans sept projets, pour un paiement maximal de 115 millions de dollars sur quatre ans.
Ivanhoe Mines (OTCQX: IVPAF) hat bedeutende Funde in seinem Explorationsprojekt in Kasachstan innerhalb des Chu-Sarysu-Beckens bekanntgegeben, dem drittgrößten sediment-gebundenen Kupferbecken der Welt. Auf der Lizenz Merke wurde oberflächennahe Kupfermineralisierung festgestellt; in einer 20 Meter dicken Zone ergaben Proben Kupfergehalte von 1,0% bis 5,0%.
Eine umfangreiche 15.000-Meter-Diamantbohrkampagne wurde über dem 16.000 km² großen Lizenzpaket gestartet. Die ersten Bohrungen zielen auf die Lizenz Glubokoe ab, um frühere sowjetische Ergebnisse nachzuverfolgen, die drei kupferführende Intervalle über 26 Meter zeigten.
Die Exploration ist Teil eines Joint Ventures mit Pallas Resources, das im Februar 2025 gegründet wurde. Ivanhoe wird in den ersten zwei Jahren allein bis zu 18,7 Millionen US-Dollar finanzieren und kann sich innerhalb von vier Jahren gegen maximale Zahlungen von 115 Millionen US-Dollar eine Beteiligung von bis zu 80% an sieben Projekten verdienen.
- Discovery of significant surface copper mineralization with samples showing 1.0-5.0% copper content
- Extensive 16,000 km² licence package in world's third-largest sediment-hosted copper basin
- Rapid execution with drilling commenced within 10 months of joint venture formation
- Strong potential for discovery with USGS estimating 25 million tonnes of undiscovered copper in the basin
- Low-cost operations in mining-friendly Kazakhstan with skilled workforce
- Surface mineralization discovered is not economically viable in isolation
- Significant investment required with $18.7 million initial funding commitment
- Early-stage exploration with no guaranteed success
- Region has been largely unexplored for over 40 years, indicating potential challenges
15,000-metre diamond drill campaign commenced across 16,000 km2 licence package
London, England--(Newsfile Corp. - September 4, 2025) - Ivanhoe Mines' (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF) Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland, and President and Chief Executive Officer Marna Cloete announce today an update on exploration activities at the company's new joint venture exploration project, in the Chu-Sarysu Basin, Kazakhstan.
The Chu-Sarysu is the world's third-largest sediment-hosted copper basin. As announced on February 12, 2025, Ivanhoe Mines and UK-based private company, Pallas Resources entered into an exploration joint venture to explore a highly-prospective package of licences covering 16,000 km2 of the basin. The licence package area is over seven times larger than that of Ivanhoe's Western Forelands Exploration Project, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Outcropping copper mineralization discovered in the south of the Chu-Sarysu Basin
Newly completed fieldwork on the joint venture's Merke licence has identified copper mineralization outcropping on surface, with an approximately 20-metre thick zone. Reconnaissance work by Pallas and Ivanhoe Mines has identified visible copper mineralization at surface, in the form of malachite, azurite and chalcocite on the Merke licence. The licence is located in the south of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, and includes a 36-kilometre-long, historically-identified stratigraphic trend, with multiple samples returning between
While clearly not an economic occurrence in isolation, the discovery of copper mineralization is significant in that it strongly supports the thesis that mineralization is structurally controlled, with faults and fractures acting as conduits for copper-bearing fluids into a package of folded sedimentary carbonate rocks onlapping older intrusive basement rocks.
Follow-up work will now prioritize mapping these structures in detail, supported by high resolution magnetic surveys to trace them at depth, and by evaluating basement contacts and fault systems as potential fluid pathways.
A historical pit on the Merke licence, exposing an approximately 20-metre thick horizon of copper mineralization within fractured carbonate rocks. Visible malachite and azurite confirm copper on the surface. The discovery demonstrates structural and sedimentary control on mineralization and provides a very strong framework for future targeting.
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Satellite view of a section of the Merke licence, showing lithologies (red beds, packstones, granodiorite) and structural features interpreted as key controls for mineralization, as well as clearly visible outcropping copper mineralization.
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Commencement of diamond drilling on licence in the west of the Chu-Sarysu Basin
The approximately 15,000-metre drill campaign, planned for 2025 has commenced in the western section of the joint venture's licence package on the Glubokoe licence several hundred kilometers to the north of the Merke licence. Drilling has started within 10 months of forming the joint venture with Pallas Resources.
The first drill hole is testing potential extensions of mineralization first noted in a Soviet-era stratigraphic hole drilled in the 1980s, which intersected three separate copper-bearing intervals over 26 metres.
The initial drill holes in the 2025 campaign are expected to be between 800 and 1,000 metres deep, and will assist with calibrating the results with historic and newly acquired geophysical datasets. This in turn will inform the stratigraphic and facies models, as well as help identify drill targets for the remainder of the current approximately 15,000-metre program.
Drilling of the Glubokoe licence in the west of the Chu-Sarysu Basin
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Kazakhstan's Chu-Sarysu Basin is the world's third-largest sedimentary copper basin, after the prolific Central African Copperbelt
The Chu-Sarysu is the world's third-largest sediment-hosted copper basin, after the Central African Copperbelt and European Kupferschiefer, hosting 27 million tonnes of known copper. The basin is host to the world-class Dzhezkazgan deposit, which has been continuously mined for over a century.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that there remains approximately 25 million tonnes of undiscovered copper in the Chu-Sarysu Basin, highlighting its untapped potential. In addition, the basin includes occurrences of lead, zinc, silver, barium and strontium. Despite its significant prospectivity, greenfield exploration has largely been neglected across the entire region for over 40 years.
Field reconnaissance by the geology team across the newly granted Merke licence area in the south of the Chu-Sarysu basin
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The world's richest sediment-hosted copper districts, with the Chu-Sarysu basin ranked as the third-largest worldwide.
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Kazakhstan is a low-cost, mining-friendly jurisdiction that is underexplored
Kazakhstan has a rich history in mining. The Central Asian country currently ranks as the world's largest uranium producer, the world's second-largest chromite producer, and is also a major producer of copper, zinc, iron ore and coal. Mining and quarrying currently account for approximately
Kazakhstan is a highly cost-effective jurisdiction for mineral exploration and mining, with a skilled workforce and a relatively low cost of operations, including labour and power.
Despite its geological potential, exploration expenditure in Kazakhstan has notably lagged behind other major mining jurisdictions. On average, approximately
Ivanhoe Mines Alliance and Exploration Joint Venture
Ivanhoe Mines formed a Strategic Alliance and Joint Venture Agreement with UK-based Pallas Resources in late 2024.
The joint venture has accumulated a licence package totaling more than 16,000 km², spread across seven projects. The group of licences forms one of the largest exploration land packages in Kazakhstan and the largest in the basin.
Ivanhoe Mines will sole-fund up to
The strategic alliance aims to combine Pallas Resource's unique historical exploration dataset and first-mover advantage in Kazakhstan with Ivanhoe Mines' decades of exploration success in discovering over 50 million tonnes of sediment-hosted copper deposits in the Western Foreland shelf of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the Kamoa, Kakula, Makoko and Kitoko discoveries.
About Ivanhoe Mines
Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal projects in Southern Africa; the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the DRC, the ultra-high-grade Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the DRC; and the tier-one Platreef platinum-palladium-nickel-rhodium-gold-copper Mine in South Africa, which is set to start production in Q4 2025.
Ivanhoe Mines is exploring for copper in its highly prospective, 54
Follow Robert Friedland (@robert_ivanhoe) and Ivanhoe Mines (@IvanhoeMines_) on X.
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Forward-looking statements
Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the company, its projects, or industry results to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified using words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events, or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the company's current expectations regarding future events, performance, and results and speak only as of the date of this news release.
Such statements include, without limitation: (i) statements that follow-up work will prioritize on mapping the structures, where mineralization is structurally controlled, in detail, with higher-resolution magnetic surveys; and (ii) statements that the recently commenced drill program will total approximately 15,000 metres and that the initial drill holes from the program are expected to be between 800 and 1,000 metres deep, and that they will assist with calibrating the results with historic and newly acquired geophysical datasets.
Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether such results will be achieved. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to the factors discussed above and under the "Risk Factors" section in the company's MD&A for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, and its current annual information form, and elsewhere in this news release, as well as unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations.
Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions, the company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release.
The company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors outlined in the "Risk Factors" section in the company's MD&A for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, and its current annual information form.
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FAQ
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