ASX-listed exploration and development company Adavale Resources (ASX:ADD) will be targeting a 15km soil anomaly in an upcoming drilling program at the Kabanga Jirani Nickel Project in Tanzania.
The drilling program follows a $2 million financing.
A coherent copper in soil anomaly over 15km in strike was defined by soil surveys undertaken during the wet season. The company also notes this anomaly is located coincident or adjacent to elevated nickel and cobalt soil anomalies, as well as certain mafic indices.
Adavale considers this to be ‘significant’ given the neighbouring Kabanga deposit owned by Lifezone and BHP contains a mineral resource of 58 million tonnes @ 2.62% nickel plus 0.35% copper, and 0.19% cobalt.
The additional soil samples in conjunction with the extensive geophysical data sets compiled over the last 2 years and the historical data acquired has generated new targets built on existing target areas.
Priority areas for testing in 2023 include the promising HEM 2 target and confirming a 15km strike extension to the north that sits within the broader Luhuma trend.
Adavale reports drilling will begin with an initial reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling (DD) campaign of 5,000m, comprising 12 RC holes to about 150m depth, and 8 to 10 diamond drillholes to about 350m depth.
Downhole electromagnetics (DHEM) and audio magnetotelluric (AMT) surveys will also be undertaken. The company reports access and drill pad preparations are well advanced to ensure a smooth restart of drilling activities.
“Generation of new geochemical soil data undertaken by our field staff and technical team throughout the wet season was a significant contributor to prioritisation of targets”
Commenting on the upcoming drilling program, Adavale Resources Technical Director, John Hicks, says: “Generation of new geochemical soil data undertaken by our field staff and technical team throughout the wet season was a significant contributor to prioritisation of targets.
The company looks forward to reporting results of this initial 2023 exploration program over the coming months. Work on refining the other target areas within the project area will continue concurrently.”
Adavale reports a total of about 10,000 samples were collected during the recent geochemical soil survey. These samples were collected on a 400m by 25m line spacing across specific areas within the company’s southern tenement package and sampled using pXRF.
Additionally, some gaps from earlier surveys were infilled during the program.
The company notes the Kabanga Jirani project contains massive sulphide, disseminated sulphide, and lateritic nickel across much of the tenement area. To ‘filter out’ the geochemical response from surficial lateritic nickel, the company says it assays and measures for response of nickel, copper, and cobalt, as well as various mafic indices such as chromium, vanadium, and iron.
On the Luhuma Trend, the next phase of work will be to include modern geophysical data such as AMT combined with knowledge of existing mineralisation to drill diamond holes at priority drill sites.
At the HEM 2 target, the company drilled 2 holes into the target which intersected layered, cumulative textured host rocks similar to that seen at the Kabanga deposit. This drilling indicated that the more primitive, and therefore nickel prospective ultramafic base potentially lies at depth further to the east. The company says this will be a priority in the upcoming drill program.
Initial RC drilling will be used to determine the position of the eastern contact of the intrusion, and assist the positioning of diamond drillholes estimated to be about 350m deep that will target potential sulphide mineralisation at the base of the intrusion. This drilling will also test the HEM 2 East target.
Adavale Resources is an ASX-listed exploration and development company focused on uncovering nickel sulphides in the East African Nickel Belt. The company’s portfolio of projects include the Kabanga Jirani Project in Tanzania, and the Lake Surprise Uranium Project in South Australia.
Images: Adavale Resources Limited
