Mineral resource exploration company Lunnon Metals (ASX:LM8) has reported ‘encouraging’ nickel and gold results from early stage exploration at the Somerset and Warren targets, located in the Kambalda Nickel Project in Western Australia.
The company says the Somerset area was originally targeted as part of its IPO preparations and, tested in 2021.
Following the discovery of the Baker deposit, geophysical aeromagnetic anomalies in the Somerset area have been identified that are analogous to the one coincident with Baker. As a result, interest in Somerset has increased and additional drill testing was warranted.
An anomalous aeromagnetic high in the Somerset area, representing a possibly early stage Baker look-a-like target, has now received first pass testing with over 4,300m of reverse circulation (RC) drilling completed in late 2022. Encouraging assay results have been returned that indicate there may be anomalous nickel sulphide mineralisation in the immediate locality.
Significant assay results include COE22RC_015 with 5m @ 0.89% Ni from 133m including 2m @ 1.29% Ni from 133m above a 1% Ni cut-off; COE22RC_011 with 1m @ 0.85% Ni from 128m; and COE22RC_014 with 1m @ 0.79% Ni from 169m.
Further follow up drilling is being planned to investigate this nickel anomalism which all sits in the hanging wall position at the base of the second komatiite flow, which is the same as the Baker deposit.
Some of the RC holes drilled also served to test a gold exploration target in the west of the program area, termed Jubilation.
Significant gold assays received include COE22RC_012 with 1m @ 2.86g/t Au from 34m; COE22RC_008 with 2m @ 2.04g/t Au from 201m; and COE22RC_005 with 2m @ 1.18g/t Au from 69m.
Commenting on the results, Lunnon Metals Managing Director Ed Ainscough said: “These Somerset results are very encouraging. Drilling a ‘mag-high’ target that resembles Baker and to intersect significant nickel at the base of the second komatiite flow, the same stratigraphic position as the Baker deposit, is exciting.
“These Somerset results are very encouraging”
It was a bonus to record the gold intercepts; the gold endowment at St Ives is well known, so we always keep a keen eye out for anomalous gold. Follow-up drilling for both commodities will be planned.
At Warren, the body of work completed now is extensive and positions us perfectly to update the Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) and to feed that data into the broader thinking at the Foster mine, where Lunnon Metals already has 52,200 tonnes of contained nickel at 3% nickel.”
Lunnon has also reported assays from 3 remaining wedge holes completed at the Warren target. These holes were targeting nickel mineralisation adjacent to WRN21DD-001.
Results recorded in these holes include WRN22DD_008W4 with 0.67m @ 2.81% Ni, 0.20% copper (Cu), 0.06% cobalt (Co), 0.38g/t palladium (Pd), and 0.40g/t platinum (Pt) from 477.82m; WRN22DD_008W6 with 7.8m @ 0.69% Ni, 0.06% Cu, 0.02% Co, 0.26g/t Pd, and 0.08g/t Pt from 482.25m; and WRN22DD_008W7 2.04m @ 1.15% Ni, 0.15% Cu, and 0.03% Co from 488m.
Lunnon reports exploration programs at Warren throughout 2021 and 2022 have been designed to demonstrate that this separate channel has the potential to host substantially more nickel than the current MRE.
The conclusion of this program at Warren now enables Lunnon to commence MRE activities with the goal of updating its interpretations and extending, or linking up areas already reported in the MRE with nickel mineralisation newly identified in its own drilling. This MRE activity will incorporate all the surface RC and diamond drilling exploration data collected since the company’s June 2021 IPO.
Lunnon Metals is a mineral resource exploration company operating the Kambalda Nickel Project in Western Australia.