Western Mines Group (ASX: WMG) has wrapped up a Phase 2 RC drilling campaign at its Mulga Tank nickel, cobalt, copper and platinum group elements project in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. The company has now launched a deeper diamond hole as it continues to prove up the giant exploration target reported at the project that comes in at between 350 million and 2,200 million tonnes grading between 0.24 per cent and 0.35 per cent nickel.
The 17 hole program was designed to follow-up and infill the higher grade core of the mineralised system outlined in the company’s recently announced exploration target.
The drilling was focused around four holes previously drilled during the group’s Phase 1 campaign, including one hole which returned a serious 200 metre intercept going at 0.31 per cent nickel from 103 metres depth. The hit also included a higher-grade interval of 35m at 0.45 per cent nickel.
Results from the initial 22 hole Phase 1 RC program confirmed extensive shallow disseminated nickel sulphide mineralisation within the main body of the system, leading to the estimation of the huge exploration target for the mineralised zone.
According to management, visible sulphide mineralisation was observed in the Phase 2 RC holes. All samples from the drilling have now been delivered to the lab with assay results anticipated to flow in during the coming weeks.
Results from the first seven holes of the Phase 2 campaign have already been reported, including multiple broad intercepts of about 200 metres and nickel grades reaching as high as 4.5 per cent in a one metre sample in one of the holes.
The average hole depth during the Phase 2 drilling clocked in at 326 metres.
This infill program aims to de-risk, improve confidence and aid resource evaluation of the higher-grade core area of the JORC Exploration Target. This is another co-funded EIS hole looking to test a compelling MobileMT anomaly and possible sulphide enriched keel of this huge nickel sulphide system.
Western Mines Managing Director, Caedmon Marriott
The rig has now been converted to diamond drilling as the company sinks one hole in search of a sulphide enriched area in the deepest parts of the mineralised system. The hole is co-funded through a grant of $220,000 from the state government’s exploration incentive scheme.
Western Mines believes a large-scale, open-pitable nickel sulphide deposit could be lurking within the main body of the Mulga Tank system. It wouldn’t be the first globally significant nickel sulphide deposit found in the mighty Yilgarn Craton, with BHP’s world-class Mt Keith mine located not too far away.
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