Geochemical assays from phase three drilling have indicated board zones of nickel sulphide mineralisation at Western Mines Group’s (ASX:WMG) Mulga Tank Project in Western Australia.
All four holes recorded elevated nickel and sulphur coincident with highly anomalous copper and platinum group elements, including 298m @ 0.29% nickel, 131 parts per million (ppm) cobalt, 65ppm copper, and 16 parts per billion platinum and palladium.
Western Mines, which has a market capitalisation of $19.15 million, has drilled 19 holes to date, as part of the phase three reverse circulation program. These holes lie within the main body of the Mulga Tank Ultramafic Complex.
The majority of the holes were designed to test to the south of the previous core area of drilling, as well as follow-up drillholes MTRC032 and MTRC038, which returned “high-grade” results.
Managing Director Dr Caedmon Marriott says the aim of these four holes was to infill around drillhole MTRC016 within the core area of the first two phases of drilling, with the aim to “increase confidence in this zone”.
“All the holes showed robust intervals of consistent nickel sulphide mineralisation with strong results for sulphur and chalcophile elements,” Marriott says.
“This central zone has now been drilled to approximately 100m by 100m spacing which will aid resource evaluation.
“A regular flow of assay results is expected from the phase three program throughout this month. In addition, the remaining core from diamond hole MTD029 is in the process of being transported to Kalgoorlie for cutting and sampling, and these assay results will follow on from the phase three reverse circulation at a future date.”
Each phase of drilling continues to build the company’s understanding of the Mulga Tank Complex and the extensive disseminated sulphide mineralisation observed.
Western Mines says these “higher grade” intervals, disturbed across the central area of the complex, can start to be correlated between drillholes over several hundred metres.
The company adds this demonstration of a coherent, relatively flat lying aone of higher grade mineralisation appears to be emerging at about 150-200m depth, and should aid in future resource modelling work.
As part of due diligence and modelling work, Dundee Corporation highlighted the strategy to focus on areas of shallow 0.40% nickel material as it could be amenable to starter pit operations in a future mine plan or model.
The company will release additional assay results from the phase three program as they become available.
In parallel, Western Mines will update the market on the progress of the first regional drillholes into the interpreted komatiite channels, which is being completed over the next two weeks.
Western Mines Group is a mineral explorer focused on the discovery of high-value gold and nickel sulphide deposits across a portfolio of projects in major mineral belts of Western Australia.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Western Mines
