Mining

Aldoro Resources identifies 16 targets at Narndee nickel-copper-PGE project

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By Robin Bromby - 
Aldoro Resources identifies targets Narndee nickel copper PGE project ASX ARN

Ground work is now being planned at Aldoro’s WA project, including gravity, electromagnetic and geochemical programs.

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One of the more recent entrants to the “Julimar lookalike” club, Aldoro Resources (ASX: ARN), has already put runs on the board by identifying 16 “major” targets at its Narndee nickel-copper-platinum group elements (PGE) project in Western Australia.

Of the 16 targets, seven are bedrock conductors and nine are described as broad, deeper anomalies.

All have been identified within the core area of the complex.

In October, Aldoro kicked off exploration at Narndee to confirm it was sitting on a large nickel-copper-PGE deposit.

The company indicated then that it was hoping to emulate the large discoveries made this year by Chalice Gold Mines (ASX: CHN) at Julimar and Estrella Resources (ASX: ESR) at its Carr Boyd project.

However, this time the search is not close to Perth but 400km northwest of the WA capital, and southeast of the historic gold mining centre of Mount Magnet.

Aldoro’s ground contains a large layered igneous (solidified from lava or magma) complex.

Modern technology uncovers targets

Historic work was completed with then existing electromagnetic (EM) equipment.

Aldoro has brought in state-of-the-art, higher-powered EM technology, which geophysicist Russell Mortimer said has produced “amazing” data.

He added that the two technologies are “like chalk and cheese”.

“I am excited by a number of the anomalies which clearly look like type-one bedrock conductors, associated with magnetic features,” he said.

Mr Mortimer said ground-based work is now required to better define these priority targets for potential drill testing.

Ground work now being planned

The company is now planning ground work, which will include gravity, EM, magnetics and geochemical programs.

A former holder of the ground, Maximus Resources  (ASX: MXR), did the earlier-generation EM survey in 2008. At the time, it reported the ground was “highly prospective” for iron, vanadium, copper-zinc, nickel-copper, chromium, gold, PGE metals and uranium.

“Several new high-quality bedrock conductor anomalies suggestive of massive sulphide mineralisation have been identified,” Maximus noted 12 years ago.

The complex was also explored by Canadian miner Inco in the 1970s, BHP (ASX: BHP) in the 1980s and by another Canadian, Falconbridge, in the early 2000s.

Largest complex of its type in Australia

Aldoro’s project area lies within the Narndee-Windimurra complex, described as the largest layered mafic-ultramafic complex in Australia.

The project comprises three exploration tenements covering about 306sq km of the predominantly ultramafic  portion of the Narndee Igneous Complex.

Inco’s efforts in the 1970s identified several nickel-sulphide gossans.

Aldoro noted the Canadian company’s exploration was mostly very shallow drilling.

Its best results were 10.5m at 1.5% nickel and 7.5m at 1.53% nickel, with mineralisation in both cases beginning at surface.