Blackstone Minerals (ASX: BSX) has reported results from its final infill drilling program at the Ban Phuc disseminated sulphide deposit within its Ta Khoa project, revealing a 375m nickel sulphide intersection.
Results from the program include:
- Hole BP20-55 374.7m @ 0.30% Ni, 0.01% Cu, 0.01% Co & 0.07g/t PGE from 2.0m
- incl. 49.0m @ 0.45% Ni, 0.04% Cu, 0.01% Co & 0.17g/t PGE from 2.0m
- Hole BP20-57 211.38m @ 0.43% Ni, 0.03% Cu, 0.01% Co & 0.13g/t PGE from 111.62m
- incl. 52.24m @ 0.74% Ni, 0.11% Cu, 0.01% Co & 0.31g/t PGE from 241.0m
- Hole BP21-17 156.25m @ 0.50% Ni, 0.07% Cu, 0.01% Co & 0.15g/t PGE from 79.75m
- incl. 31.05m @ 0.75% Ni, 0.14% Cu, 0.01% Co & 0.26g/t PGE from 83.75m
- Hole BP21-31 169.0m @ 0.43% Ni, 0.04% Cu, 0.01% Co & 0.15g/t PGE from 62.0m
- incl. 10.3m @ 1.13% Ni, 0.18% Cu, 0.02% Co & 0.48g/t PGE from 98.0m
- Hole BP21-35 52.0m @ 0.79% Ni, 0.10% Cu, 0.01% Co & 0.26g/t PGE from 22.0m
- incl. 30.0m @ 1.10% Ni, 0.14% Cu, 0.02% Co & 0.41g/t PGE from 40.0m
The company has said that these results further demonstrate the large bulk tonnage potential of Ban Phuc, which will underpin the Upstream Business Unit pre-feasibility study due later in 2021.
Cross Section of the Ban Phuc deposit displaying broad mineralised intersections in holes BP20-55 & BP20-56Ban Phuc potential
The Ban Phuc disseminated sulphide deposit is situated within the Khoa Nickel-Copper-PGE Project, approximately 160km from Hanoi in Vietnam.
The project houses a modern, high-quality nickel mine which operated between 2013 to 2016, along with upstream and downstream processing facilities capable of producing feedstock for the region’s burgeoning Lithium-ion Battery Industry.
A scoping study has been carried out into the reopening of Ta Khoa, which Blackstone describes as an “important step” in proceeding to a mine-to-market operation.
“In the relatively short amount of time…Blackstone has been able to define a large, disseminated sulfide deposit”
Management comments
Blackstone Minerals Managing Director Scott Williamson said: “The high tenor of results from the final infill drilling program increases the confidence of the resource at Ban Phuc, and the mine plan that will underpin Blackstone’s UBU PFS. In the relatively short amount of time since acquiring the Ta Khoa Nickel – Copper – PGE Project, Blackstone has been able to define a large, disseminated sulfide deposit which considerably adds to the security of supply for the Company’s vertically integrated downstream refinery.”
Images: Blackstone Minerals
