Western Mines Group (ASX:WMG) has converted a drill rig to diamond drilling and moved up to the Panhandle prospect as part of the Mulga Tank Project in Western Australia, where the group is undertaking further exploration work.
The first diamond hole (MTD030) will be drilled with the support of one of Western Mines’ current Exploration Incentive Scheme grants.
As part of the phase four drilling program, four holes have been drilled for 1,309m. These holes all lie within the main body of the Mulga Tank Ultramafic Complex and were designed to step out to the south of previous drilling and test new areas of the complex.
All four holes encountered visible sulphide mineralisation, extending known mineralisation outside the current resource shell.
Managing Director Caedmon Marriott says the first four holes form a wide-spaced fence 300m to the south of previous drilling, with the holes around 400m apart.
“The MTRC063 diamond tail verified our modelling of the geometry of this 1.3km long olivine cumulate body and MTD030 will now look to drill a complete geological section through the body and test its basal contact,” Marriott says.
“Initial results from the downhole electromagnetic survey have highlighted an interesting conductive anomaly at depth below and to the south of hole MTRC055. Modelling of this anomaly will hope to identify a target that will be drilled by either a diamond tail to MTRC055 and/or a second twin hole.”
As Mining.com.au reported, Mulga Tank has a resource of 1.968 billion tonnes @ 0.27% nickel, 131 parts per million cobalt, 82ppm copper, and 17 parts per billion platinum and palladium.
The company says the resource marks Mulga Tank as the largest nickel sulphide deposit in Australia.
Speaking to this news service, Marriott says there is an expectation that nickel will be a forgotten commodity in wider discussions across this year’s Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum.
“There’s essentially no other nickel explorers left, I expect very few people will want to talk nickel,” Marriott tells Mining.com.au.
“Gold on the other hand, I expect the gold companies to be having a real party.”
Diggers and Dealers is a mining investment forum, held annually in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. This year’s forum marks the 34th year of the event.
“Diggers is the highlight of the Western Australian mining industry, so you go to be part of the Western Australian industry,” Marriott explains.
“We hope to connect with peers within the Western Australian industry.”
Western Mines Group will be exhibiting at this year’s Diggers. Mining.com.au is again attending the event.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Western Mines Group
