Sarytogan launches deep hunt for Kazakh copper prize
Brought to you by Bulls and Bears
Doug Bright
Sarytogan Graphite has launched its first diamond drilling campaign at the Ilkin mine, part of the Baynazar copper exploration project in central Kazakhstan, targeting what all geological signs point to could be a significant copper porphyry system.
The company has planned a four-hole, 1,000-metre program designed to explore the most challenging targets from a systematic exploration push that begins with the initial stabilization of ground in 2024.
The decision to introduce diamond equipment follows a number of encouraging results from previous studies. Sarytogan’s research began with a high-resolution aeromagnetic survey in early 2025, followed by the collection of more than 6,000 soil samples, which identified numerous possibilities, including Ilkin.
Excavations at Ilkin in 2025 yielded a solid 270-meter cutting grading 0.13 percent copper; This included 0.20 per cent copper assayed in 92 metres, and a 30 meter higher grade section used 0.31 per cent copper.
‘Planned diamond drilling will reveal the geology in much greater detail.’
Sarytogan Graphite managing director Sean Gregory
The follow-up shallow drilling program consisting of 130 KGK holes of 1,775 meters was completed late last year. UPS is a Soviet-developed drilling method often referred to as “bedrock top” or “water-in-line core drilling” that allows drillers to drill through thick layers of topsoil and weathered rock to access fresh bedrock for geological sampling.
KGK drilling successfully penetrated the shallow surface cover to drill rejection at an average depth of 12 m and a maximum depth of 40 m.
Traces of copper near the surface in soil are generally quite mobile and widespread. Sarytogan’s choice of drilling method was based on actual copper anomalies in or near fresh bedrock, eliminating red herrings introduced by weathering that could enhance or diminish geochemical results.
Samples taken from the underlying fresh bedrock revealed a strong copper anomaly 600 meters in diameter, with copper grades of up to 0.5 percent at a depth of just 6 metres, right in the middle of the company’s designated target.
Management says the distribution of metals is a classic sign of a copper porphyry system, where copper lies at the center of the mineralized zone, forming a surrounding halo of lead and zinc.
Sarytogan managing director Sean Gregory said: “With its circular aeromagnetic feature, historical mineralized borehole, copper and guiding soil anomalies, and bedrock anomalies from KGK drilling, Ilkin is a prime candidate for a copper porphyry system.”
The company’s current diamond drilling program is designed to test the porphyry model in depth. The first hole targeting the core of the bedrock anomaly, where the previous 0.5 percent copper result was recorded, is currently under construction.
The planned second hole will match and confirm a historic Soviet-era drill hole that reportedly encountered 22 meters of weathered, copper carbonate mineralized diorite from surface before impacting deeper into copper sulphide and molybdenum mineralization accompanied by quartz-chalcopyrite veining.
Although former Soviet records suggest that copper grades ranged from 0.02 percent to 0.1 percent and increased with depth, the reliability of the figures is unknown. Sarytogan’s new hole will aim to confirm these intriguing past results.
A third hole will test another copper anomaly of up to 0.2 percent copper and 0.4 grams per tonne near the geological contact between sedimentary and intrusive rocks, a classic environment for porphyry mineralization. The final hole will explore an area where previous shallow drilling yielded 0.15 percent copper along with silver and gold.
The Ilkin project covers a geological land known for its world-class copper mines. Kazakhstan is home to four of the world’s five lowest-cost copper mines, according to industry data.
While the copper hunt at Baynazar is clearly gaining momentum, the company’s main focus remains the Sarytogan graphite project of the same name.
The huge graphite deposit in central-eastern Kazakhstan has already been designated as a “Strategic Project” under the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act. Copper drilling adds another layer to the potential news cycle, with a definitive feasibility study for the graphite project nearing completion and scheduled for release next quarter.
Sarıtogan’s diamond drilling in İlkin is planned to be completed in August, and all major analysis results are expected in the last quarter of 2026.
If the company’s geologists have read the Baynazar tea leaves correctly, Sarytogan may soon have a serious copper rival to complement its worldwide graphite presence.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
