Azure Minerals Limited (ASX: AZS) announced that the latest assays from its 60% owned Andover Ni-Cu Project located in the West Pilbara region of Western Australia have returned up to 2.31% nickel and 0.86% copper from diamond drill holes ANDD0005 and ANDD0006.
AZS said that DD hole ANDD0005 intersected semi-massive to massive nickel-copper sulphides, with significant hits of 6.7m @ 1.98% Nickel and 0.86% Copper from 325.3m within 10.7m @ 1.69% Nickel and 0.71% Copper from 325.3m which is within 18.7m @ 1.35% Nickel and 0.68% Copper from 325.3m.
The company reported that the DD hole ANDD0006 intersected massive, matrix and disseminated nickel-copper sulphides, returning 3.8m @ 1.59% Nickel and 0.83% Copper from 377.3m and 1.2m @ 2.31% Nickel and 0.64% Copper from 392.7m and; 7.0m @ 2.23% Nickel and 0.63% Copper from 411.35m which is within 19.2m @ 1.47% Nickel and 0.41% Copper from 406.35m.
Azure said that the nickel-copper sulphide intersections coincide with large VC-07 electromagnetic (EM) conductor, providing further confidence that this 1,050m-long and +200m-deep body represents a substantial Ni-Cu deposit.
The company announced that a two-stage 30,000m diamond drilling program to define mineral resources within VC-07 will commence shortly.
Andover nickel-copper project
The Andover nickel-copper project is located 35km southeast of Karratha and immediately south of Roebourne in WA. Azure has a 60% interest in the tenement EL 47/2481 and Exploration Licence Application 47/4314 from Croydon Gold Pty Ltd, a private subsidiary of the Creasy Group. The Creasy Group retains 40%.
Diamond drilling at Andover
The company had recently completed seven diamond drill holes (ANDD0001 – ANDD0007) for a total of 2,720m at the Andover Ni-Cu Project.
The DD holes ANDD0005 and ANDD0006 were drilled to test the up-dip and down-dip extensions of the 38m-wide zone of nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation intersected in DD hole ANDD0004, which had returned 16.2m @ 2.09% Ni and 0.75% Cu from 347.5m in the eastern part of the extensive (1,050m x +200m) VC-07 conductor, identified by Azure in electromagnetic surveys.
Strong results
The company said that massive, semi-massive, and matrix sulphide mineralisation was intersected in drill holes ANDD0005 and ANDD0006.
ANDD0005
Significant intersections from DD hole ANDD0005 included 10.7m @ 1.69% Nickel and 0.71% Copper from 325.3m, including 1.9m @ 2.47% Nickel and 0.80% Copper from 325.3m, and 2.0m @ 3.01% Nickel and 1.27% Copper from330.0m, and 1.0m @ 2.59% Nickel and 0.21% Copper from 335.0m; 5.6m @ 1.14% Nickel and 0.75% Copper from 338.4m including 1.0m @ 2.18% Nickel and 0.50% Copper from 343.0m which is within 18.7m @ 1.35% Nickel and 0.68% Copper from 325.3m.
ANDD0006
Important hits from DD hole ANDD0006 included 3.8m @ 1.59% Nickel and 0.83% Copper from 377.3m, and 1.2m @ 2.31% Nickel and 0.64% Copper from 392.7m, and 7.0m @ 2.23% Nickel and 0.63% Copper from 411.35m, which is within 19.2m @ 1.47% Nickel and 0.41% Copper from 406.35m; and 47.5m @ 0.81% Nickel and 0.3% Copper from 378.0m.
What’s next?
Azure said that an intensive diamond drilling program has been initiated to test the full 1,050m strike extent of mineralisation associated with the VC-07 conductor plate, and testing up-dip and down-dip extensions which could exceed 200m of vertical extent of sulphide mineralisation.
AZS said that the drill program comprises two consecutive 15,000m drilling campaigns with the first phase designed to delineate the extent of the mineralised system with the second phase defining the deposit to JORC mineral resource standards.
The company said that, based on FLTEM surveying, 12 separate electromagnetic conductor anomalies have been identified within the Andover project area. AZS said that drilling to test the highest priority conductors is planned to commence early in the first quarter of 2021.