Hamelin Gold (ASX:HMG) says recent work conducted under BHP’s (ASX:BHP) Xplor program over the Tanami Province confirms a new suite of nickel, copper and platinum group element mineralised intrusions.
The company was selected earlier this year to participate in the 2024 BHP Xplor program – a six-month accelerator program for early stage explorers to find the critical resources necessary to drive the energy transition.
Age dating of Hamelin’s Tanami ground in Western Australia established that the Le Beau and Hawkeye intrusions are 1.805 and 1.795 billion years old, respectively, and confirmed the new suite of mineralised intrusions not previously recorded in the Tanami Province.
Regional structural architecture mapping, meanwhile, has identified key regional scale controls on the emplacement of the intrusions and defined a number of other areas of interest within the region.
A ground electromagnetic (EM) crew is now being mobilised to site to undertake a moving loop survey over the interpreted outline of the Hawkeye intrusion.
Hamelin says disseminated sulphides containing nickel-copper and PGE mineralisation intersected in a 2023 drill hole may concentrate at depth and potentially generate a massive or semi-massive sulphide accumulation.
TLR0022, one of three holes drilled mid-last year, returned an intercept of 2m @ 0.23% copper, 0.10% nickel, 280 parts per billion (ppb) palladium, 30ppb platinum and 0.26 grams per tonne gold from 140m.
It is predicted that this style of mineralisation would be highly conductive and the ground EM survey is likely to map an accumulation if it occurs within 400m of the surface.
“A conductive body outlined in this survey would represent an immediate and high priority drill target,” Hamelin says.
Hamelin is also undertaking major surface sampling programs across the West Tanami and has expanded geochemical programs across new targets to assess the effectiveness of the CSIRO-developed Ultrafine technology.
The technology is a soil sampling method designed to overcome challenges resulting from mineralisation under transported cover.
Over the past three years Hamelin has conducted a series of trials and orientation surveys using a variety of surface sampling techniques to determine the most effective technology within the West Tanami project.
Results from the research indicate that soil sampling and analysis using the Ultrafine technology provides the most consistent and effective tool to detect gold anomalism within the sand-covered terrains in the West Tanami.
Hamelin, which has a market capitalisation of $15.8 million, had cash reserves of $4.9 million at the end of June.
Subsequent to the end of the quarter, it was notified it was successful in its application for the Australian Government’s Junior Mineral Exploration Incentive for up to $1.48 million of tax credits for the year ending 30 June 2025.
The exploration credits are available to eligible investors who subscribe for new shares issued by Hamelin Gold in the 2025 financial year.
Write to Angela East at Mining.com.au
Images: Hamelin Gold
