Mining

Assays confirm Azure Minerals drill core observations at Andover, highlight potential for large deposit

Go to Lorna Nicholas author's page
By Lorna Nicholas - 
Azure Minerals Andover drill hole observation AZS ASX nickel copper assays

At Andover, Azure Minerals’ latest assays returned 41.9m at 1.1% nickel and 0.57% copper, including 8.5m at 2.77% nickel and 1.04% copper.

Copied

Azure Minerals’ (ASX: AZS) recently acquired 60%-owned Andover nickel and copper project has continued to impress with latest assays from a thick 41.9m intersection revealing numerous high-grade zones – further confirming visual observations of drill core.

In hole ANDD0004, the overall mineralised intersection was 41.9m at 1.1% nickel and 0.57% copper and is coincident with electromagnetic conductor VC-07, which is 1.05km long and 200m deep.

Azure’s theory is the conductor may represent a “substantial” nickel and copper deposit.

Within hole ANDD0004, assays have revealed several high-grade zones such as 16.2m at 2.09% nickel and 0.75% copper from 347.5m, including 8.5m at 2.77% nickel and 1.04% copper from 354.8m, and 4.1m at 3.52% nickel and 0.36% copper form 354.8m.

Azure managing director Tony Rovira said the company continued to be “very encouraged” with the “outstanding” results from drilling at Andover.

“We’re excited by the potential that this project continues to demonstrate with each drill hole.”

He added that modelling of the EM conductor VC-07 had “proven very accurate” to-date, and noted that where drilling had tested the conductor, “significant” nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation had been intersected.

“The high-grade nickel and copper assays from the massive sulphides intersected in ANDD0004 and the coincident strong in-hole EM conductor support VC-07 as the geophysical signature of a fertile and potentially extensive nickel and copper-rich mineralised system,” Mr Rovira said.

Advancing Andover

Azure has now completed six diamond holes for 2,025.9m at Andover with all six holes uncovering broad zones of nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation.

Hole ANDD0006 is the deepest hole drilled at the project and also hit the widest mineralised zone.

The 53.6m zone contained “significant” intervals of nickel-copper sulphides, including several zones of massive and semi-massive sulphides.

It was drilled 53m below and down dip from the mineralisation identified in ANDD0004.

“Our latest drill hole ANDD0007 is targeting the conductor plant with a 100m step-out to the west and additional drilling will continue to test the along-strike extensions of VIC-07 in that direction,” Mr Rovira explained.

“If VC-07 continues to deliver similar mineralised intersections along its more than 1km length, there is the potential here to define a substantial nickel-copper sulphide deposit,” he added.

Further drilling will be undertaken to test the entire strike length to the west-northwest and down dip.

Azure has invited tenders for a 30,000m diamond drilling program using three rigs to be carried out next year.

Drilling has also been planned to test 12 other EM anomalies, with these targets to be tested in the March 2021 quarter.