Western Mines Group (ASX: WMG) has completed the first 19 reverse-circulation (RC) drillholes of a phase-three program designed to test the southern margins of the core area of its Mulga Tank nickel deposit in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields region.
In the campaign aimed at following up past high-grade intercepts from the complex’s south-eastern extents, 12 RC holes were run out in two east-west lines to cover untested ground south of two adjacent previous holes.
One of those past holes produced intercepts of 4m at 1.09 per cent nickel from 135m, 2m at 1 per cent nickel from 169m and 1m at 3.16 per cent nickel from 192m. The second previous hole gave up intercepts of 1m at 1.08 per cent nickel from 131m and 6m at 1.01 per cent nickel from 254m.
The hits also included supportive anomalism in cobalt, copper and combined platinum group elements (PGE) to 0.44 grams per tonne platinum and palladium.
The remaining seven holes in the latest program infilled previous drilling in the core of the complex, with four holes put in around a phase-one RC hole that nailed 200m at 0.3 per cent nickel from 103m, while the final three holes probed the south-eastern margins of the core zone of the complex.
To date, the 19 holes of the phase-three campaign have drilled through 6002m of a planned 7000m to a maximum depth of 438m.
Samples from each of these holes have been submitted to the lab on the completion of each hole and we expect to start seeing a regular flow of results coming through in the next few weeks. After weather-related delays, we were finally able to get a DHEM (downhole electromagnetic) crew to site to complete a DHEM survey in August. This was the most successful survey to date, with all holes except deep diamond hole MTD028 (blocked) able to be surveyed to near bottom-of-hole.
Western Mines Group Managing Director Dr Caedmon Marriott
Four more RC holes are planned in the phase-three program, to be put in along a single east-west line about 500m south of and parallel to the 12 holes already drilled on two lines along the southern margin of the core of the complex.
Within the next fortnight, the rig has been assigned to mud-rotary drilling of pre-collars for the final four holes in a bid to bore through the deep sand cover that buries the target rocks to depths ranging between about 60m and 90m. The rig will also prepare pre-collars for the next planned regional program of five RC holes for about 2000m of drilling.
The multi-hole DHEM survey program last month was conducted on two deep diamond holes – including the company’s third exploration incentive scheme (EIS) hole – and also on five RC holes.
Management says each drillhole features EM anomalism consistent with visible sulphides. The results are being reviewed with a view to possibly re-entering and extending them to test anomalies off the ends of the holes and/or to better define the anomalies identified.
Additional drillholes are expected to be added to the programs to test for new targets or to better resolve existing targets. New regional RC scout drilling will also start exploring the elongate aeromagnetic ultramafic signatures that reflect the interpreted komatiite channel system radiating from the main part of the Mulga Tank complex in a north-westerly direction along the Minigwal greenstone belt.
The holes will test for and confirm geological interpretations and the prospectivity of the channels to host high-grade Kambalda-style massive sulphide mineralisation. The style is named after the Kambalda region in the WA Goldfields which has pumped out high-grade nickel metal since the 1960s.
Western Mines says consistent news flow will be soon be coming off the back of the drilling campaign and the market is likely to be watching for what it holds as the company continues to explore its remarkable Mulga Tank ultramafic complex for its two, or possibly three, styles of nickel potential.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: office@bullsnbears.com.au