Solstice Minerals Extends Nanadie Copper-Gold System at Depth

Solstice Minerals (ASX: SLS) has confirmed wide high-grade copper-gold mineralisation at depth in the first diamond drill tail at its 100%-owned Nanadie project in Western Australia.

The hole returned a combined reverse circulation (RC) and diamond intercept of 629.1 metres at 0.50% copper and 0.17 grams per tonne gold from surface to end of hole.

The result includes all unmineralised intervals and extends mineralisation more than 300m below the current Mineral Resource estimate (MRE) boundary.

Solstice believes the result supports the potential to materially expand Nanadie’s existing 40.4 million tonne resource as Phase 2 drilling continues across a system open along strike and at depth.

Deep Zones Confirmed

Hole NANRCD004 extended Phase 1 RC hole NANRC004, which previously intersected 62m at 1.55% Cu and 0.66g/t Au to 317.5m.

The diamond tail was drilled from 317.5m to a final depth of 629.1m, and continued through wide zones of mineralised and altered gabbro and dolerite.

Assays closely matched previously logged zones of visible chalcopyrite, giving Solstice confidence in its geological observations across the first hole and in the 12 additional diamond tails still awaiting assays or processing.

Key diamond results included 30.7m at 1.41% Cu and 0.34g/t Au from 461.5m, including 15m at 2.12% Cu and 0.47g/t Au from 473m.

Larger System Emerging

Nanadie currently hosts an Inferred MRE of 40.4Mt at 0.4% Cu and 0.1g/t Au, containing 162,000t of copper and 130,000 ounces of gold.

The mineralised system is currently interpreted to be 100m to 200m wide, extends over at least 1.2 kilometres of strike and remains open to the north and south.

Solstice has completed 13 diamond tails, with assays pending from 12 holes including one that is interpreted to extend the host geology about 500m below the MRE boundary.

Phase 2 RC drilling is continuing as part of an extended 13,000m program covering step-out exploration, resource delineation, and pre-collar holes for additional diamond tails.

Five Phase 2 RC holes have been reported from the northern extent of the deposit, confirming significant copper intercepts to the limit of drilling and strong correlation with induced polarisation chargeability features extending further north.

Nanadie Model Validated

Chief executive officer Nick Castleden said the first diamond result had validated Solstice’s geological model at Nanadie.

“We are delighted to release an outstanding set of wide, high-grade copper-gold intercepts in our first diamond drillhole at Nanadie, providing […] definitive evidence that this part of the deposit hosts multiple zones of high-grade mineralisation that extend to substantial depths beyond the current MRE limits.”

“Importantly, the excellent match between the zones of visible sulphide mineralisation observed in logging and the assays gives us confidence in the deeper drilling we have completed to date, and the momentum to keep pursuing these zones of high-grade material well below existing drilling, and also potentially up-plunge into the current MRE area.”

“The deposit remains open at both ends, and drillholes such as NANRCD004 show there are substantial higher-grade positions to be drilled for incorporation into future MRE upgrades.”

Further diamond and RC assays are expected in batches over the coming months as the company continues processing core and dispatching samples from the active Nanadie program.