Western Mines Group (ASX:WMG) says it has uncovered continuous nickel sulphide mineralisation at the Mulga Tank Project in Western Australia.
The first round of drill results returned 494m @ 0.29% nickel, 135 parts per million (ppm) cobalt, 74ppm copper, and 20 parts per billion (ppb) platinum and palladium from 108m.
The intercept was from the top 600m of hole MTD029.
Drilling also returned intervals of higher-grade mineralisation like 19m @ 0.44% nickel, 209ppm cobalt, 246ppm copper, and 64ppb platinum and palladium from 378m; including 8m at 0.54% nickel, 250ppm cobalt, 371ppm copper, and 81ppb platinum and palladium from 389m.
This intercept also includes 1m @ 1.56% nickel, 548ppm cobalt, 0.12% copper, and 0.2g/t platinum and palladium from 395m.
Managing Director Caedmon Marriott says the top section showed near continuous disseminated mineralisation from around 108m with a sulphur to nickel ratio (S:Ni) of 1.0.
“A number of richer zones of around 0.4% nickel were seen in this upper portion, as well as a high-grade intersection of 1m @ 1.56% nickel, confirming the remobilised nickel sulphide veining observed in the core,” he says.
“A cumulative 112kg bulk sample of the drill core was taken from four intervals totalling 62m down hole length and submitted for initial metallurgical testwork. This bulk sample averaged 0.33% nickel and 140ppm cobalt with S:Ni of 1.1.
“Encouragingly these results approximately match the higher grade core zone of the Mulga Tank JORC exploration target and so will hopefully provide a representative sample for this preliminary first stage of work.”
Western Mines previously outlined an exploration target of 350 million tonnes to 2.2 billion tonnes @ 0.24% to 0.35% nickel and 120 to 150ppm cobalt, with an S:Ni ratio of 1.1 to 1.3.
Geochemical characterisation shows high magnesium oxide (MgO) adcumulate dunite averaging 48.4% MgO, 0.42% aluminium oxide (volatile free) over 519m downhole.
Western Mines says this is indicative of a “hot dynamic system”.
The company adds that extensive intersections of high MgO adcumulate dunite within the complex, starting immediately under the sand cover, has positive implications for the targeting of open-pittable, large-volume, low-grade type two Mt-Keith style disseminated nickel sulphide deposits within the Mulga Tank Complex.
Western Mines drilled 5,534m across 17 holes in the phase-two reverse circulation drilling program and has now restarted diamond drilling at Mulga Tank.
Reverse circulation drilling was designed to infill and prove-up the extent of shallow disseminated nickel sulphide mineralisation, while diamond drilling will continue to test the deeper targets.
Write to Angela East at Mining.com.au
Images: Western Mines Group
