Solstice Minerals (ASX:SLS) reports ‘outstanding’ assays from its deepest diamond drill hole at the Nanadie Copper-Gold Project in Western Australia.
The company’s diamond tail NANRCD005 returned multiple wide, ‘high-grade’ copper-gold intercepts extending mineralisation more than 700m below surface and 500m beyond the current mineral resource estimate (MRE) boundary.
Key intercepts include 89.3m @ 0.64% copper (Cu) and 0.17 grams per tonne gold (Au) from 504.7m, incorporating 16m @ 1.24% Cu and 0.27g/t Au from 509m; plus 28m @ 1.31% Cu and 0.30g/t Au from 630m and 43.3m @ 0.91% Cu and 0.35g/t Au from 761.7m.
The combined reverse circulation (RC) and diamond intercept totals 722.3m @ 0.44% Cu and 0.13g/t Au from the granite margin to end of hole, including all unmineralised intervals.
CEO Nick Castleden says NANRCD005 marks another ‘defining moment’ at Nanadie.
“The combined … intercept – inclusive of all post-mineral dykes and low-grade zones – provides definitive evidence that the deposit will continue to deliver scale and grade way beyond the current MRE limits,” Castleden says.
“We now have strong drill-supported evidence that Nanadie is a rare, large-scale copper-gold system in an infrastructure-rich WA Goldfields setting with the potential to take Solstice beyond exploration.”
Solstice says the results correlate closely with visible chalcopyrite mineralisation identified during geological logging, providing confidence in 14 additional diamond holes and over 20 RC holes currently at the laboratory.
NANRCD005 extended phase one RC hole NANRC005 with a diamond tail drilled from 324.3m to 840.6m depth. The hole intersected wide zones of mineralised and altered host gabbro and dolerite before terminating in mafic rocks to the east.
Nanadie sits on a granted mining lease and currently hosts an inferred MRE of 40.4 million tonnes @ 0.40% Cu and 0.10g/t Au, containing 162,000 tonnes of Cu and 130,000 ounces of Au. The mineralised system extends over at least 1.2km of strike and 100m to 200m in width, remaining open to the north, south, and at depth.
Solstice intends to ramp up drilling following the completion of expanded camp and core processing facilities, with multiple rigs expected to operate through the balance of the year. A second RC rig is due on site shortly, with initial drilling also planned at the nearby Stark prospect.
Solstice Minerals is a mineral explorer focused on the discovering and developing copper, gold, and nickel deposits in underexplored regions across WA.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Images: Solstice Minerals
