Great Western Exploration (ASX:GTE) has defined new nickel-copper targets through a helicopter-borne electromagnetic (EM) survey completed in January 2023 at the Fairbairn Nickel-Copper Project in Western Australia.
The company reports an interpretation of the EM survey data has identified 7 targets, and defined plates with ‘significant’ lateral extents measuring up to 900m along the plate’s length.
These plates sit below the government mapped and modelled sedimentary rocks of the Earaheedy Basin, with basement interpreted to be mafic, and ultramafic rocks of Archean Greenstone Terrain, which is considered prospective for magmatic nickel-copper deposits.
Great Western reports magnetic highs supports a greenstone basement interpretation, and legacy drilling completed in the 1990s intersected mafic and ultramafic rocks below basin cover which returned anomalous results in hole M017 with 20m @ 1,214ppm Ni from 28m.
A review of government open file data found that holes M105 and DH8, which were both completed in the 1990s intersected ultramafic rocks with quartz-calcite veins and copper-sulphide mineralisation, which are adjacent to 2 modelled EM plates. No assays were available for this interval.
The company says these drilled intercepts potentially represent distal mineralisation from a mineralised source, making modelled EM conductor plates a ‘highly compelling’ target.
Great Western reports it has prioritised further exploration at Fairbairn which will include field inspections, and ground EM surveys to delineate the interpreted EM conductor plates for targeted drill testing.
Great Western Exploration is a copper, gold, and nickel explorer that holds a ‘large’ land position across regions of Western Australia. The company’s portfolio includes the Fairbairn, Yerrida, Weld Spring, Atley, Yandal West-Lake Way, Calyerup, and Forrestania Joint Venture (JV) projects.
Images: Great Western Exploration Limited
