Mandrake Resources Limited (ASX: MAN) reports that it has intersected several zones of disseminated and semi-massive sulphides in mafic-ultramafic rock during diamond drilling at its Newleyine PGE-nickel-copper prospect within the Jimperding PGE-Ni-Cu Project in Western Australia.
The two holes, MNEWDD001 and MNEWDD002, were designed to test three discrete, late-time electromagnetic bedrock anomalies.
Diamond drilling
MNEWDD002
Diamond hole MNEWDD002 recorded several zones of disseminated and semi-massive sulphides in mafic-ultramafic rock. This included a broad serpentinite zone with consistent disseminated sulphides (primarily pyrite) up to 2% by volume from 43m to 119m followed by another serpentine intersection from 121 – 130.5m containing 1-3% sulphides.
At 130.5m a 4.5m zone comprising amphibolite with 5-10% disseminated sulphide (primarily pyrrhotite) was followed by a further 2.9m wide zone from 138.4m containing 15% sulphides by volume (including minor chalcopyrite) as well as several semi-massive sulphide bands (60% sulphides) up to 10cm in thickness.
A banded magnetite iron formation, containing bands of near massive sulphide was intersected immediately below the sulphide ultramafic unit at 143.6m.
MNEWDD001
Diamond hole MNEWDD001 targeted the eastern-most conductor plate B.
A down-hole electromagnetic survey at MNEWDD001 identified a very strong, confined, late-time off-hole conductor plate with ~7,000 Siemens conductance. The conductor was strongly confined and measured approximately 60 x 80m. Drilling of this new conductor is currently underway.
Jimperding Project
The Jimperding PGE-Ni-Cu Project is located approximately 30km east of Chalice Gold Mines’s Julimar Ni-Cu-PGE discovery in Western Australia.
The project houses three significant prospects: Newleyine, Tolarno North, and Tolarno South. Historic drilling of the Newleyine prospect had confirmed nickel grades to 1.18% and copper to 1,200 ppm.
Updates and further work
Mandrake has expanded its drilling programme at Jimperding, with an additional hole targeting the new off-hole conductor at MNEWDD001 now underway. Upon completion, work will move to MNEWDD003 to drill EM conductor plate C.
Detailed logging has been completed for MNEWDD001 and MNEWDD002, and the company is currently in the process of preparing samples for assay.
“The appearance of ultramafic rocks containing distinct sulphides, including chalcopyrite, in our second hole is highly encouraging and demonstrates the potential of the Newleyine intrusive”
Management comments
Mandrake Resources Managing Director James Allchurch said: “Newleyine is an underexplored prospect with very little work undertaken since the 1970s when three speculative BQ holes were drilled from the same pad unaided by geophysics.
The appearance of ultramafic rocks containing distinct sulphides, including chalcopyrite, in our second hole is highly encouraging and demonstrates the potential of the Newleyine intrusive. In addition, the compelling off-hole conductor identified by down-hole EM in the first hole is an exciting development, which we are now immediately drill testing with results to be known shortly.
Mandrake’s understanding of the Newleyine intrusive system is building rapidly with every metre drilled and each DHEM survey conducted and I look forward to providing further results”.
Images: Mandrake Resources Limited