Mineral Research in Bom Jardim de Goiás
The Bom Jardim region in Goiás is situated in the southwestern portion of the state, within the western edge of the Arenópolis Magmatic Arc, southern part of the Goiás Magmatic Arc (Pimentel & Fuck, 1992). The region hosts the Bom Jardim deposit, explored by CPRM between 1972 and 1980 for Pb, Zn, and Cu. Between 2016 and 2017, CPRM identified a mineral reserve in Bom Jardim de Goiás, initially estimated at 4.5 Mt @ 0.44% Cu. A 2017 technical review by GE21 revised the reserve to 4.8 Mt @ 0.21% Cu, 122.96 g/t Au, and 0.025% Co. In 2021, Axía Mineração S.A. initiated research in the region after acquiring available areas at auction, dubbed the ‘Bloco Bom Jardim de Goiás.’ The following year, it won the CPRM tender for the Bom Jardim de Goiás Copper Deposit and integrated the area into the research block. In 2023, Axía conducted due diligence on the CPRM deposit and researched the Block’s areas, performing geological, topographical, geochemical, geophysical (magnetometry and Induced Polarization) and drilling studies. During this period, 2,000 meters of rotary drilling were completed, with results pending conclusion, potentially significantly increasing the inferred reserve.
The host rocks of mineralization in the CPRM deposit are volcaniclastic rocks attributed to the Córrego da Aldeia Formation of the Bom Jardim Group, Goiás, with an interpreted age of approximately 900 Ma. Mineralization occurs in metatuffs of this formation and is associated with a system of veins and venules, and secondarily, hydrothermal breccias with disseminated to massive sulfide mineralization. Structurally, the lithological units are essentially aligned in a NNE direction, associated with a set of sinistral faults (shear zones) trending E-W/NW-SE, interrupted by a N-S lineament, indicating strong regional structural control. The mineralization is characterized by pyrite and chalcopyrite, accompanied by Au (electrum), pyrrhotite, magnetite, sphalerite, ilmenite and hematite. Although lacking a significant massive sulfide zone, the deposit features a vein-rich zone with pyrite and chalcopyrite. Discussions on the deposit’s typology and genesis remain ongoing. Adjacent areas exhibit geochemical copper anomalies coinciding with IP anomalies in metabasic rocks. Intense hydrothermal activity surrounds the deposit, featuring silicification, chloritization, albitization, epidotization, and other alterations. The Bom Jardim Copper Deposit holds strategic importance, addressing the increasing need for minerals in the energy transition, with a confirmed reserve and economically viable project promising significant regional advantages. The company’s portfolio extends beyond Bom Jardim, encompassing exploration projects in several Goiás municipalities, prioritizing energy transition minerals.
