Mining

Azure Minerals continues drilling success at Andover after unearthing more nickel-copper sulphides

Go to Lorna Nicholas author's page
By Lorna Nicholas - 
Azure Minerals ASX AZS massive sulphide mineralisation nickel copper Andover new

Azure managing director Tony Rovira said exploration success so far at Andover indicates “excellent potential” for a major new nickel-copper deposit.

Copied

Azure Minerals (ASX: AZS) has identified numerous nickel-copper sulphide intervals in its latest drill hole at Andover, with the mineralisation coinciding with a strong anomaly.

The latest diamond drill hole is the fourth hole at the project and intercepted a 38m zone, which Azure claims contains “significant” intervals of nickel-copper sulphides, including areas of massive and semi-massive sulphides.

Azure noted the intercept coincides with a previously untested, strongly conductive electromagnetic (EM) conductor.

The EM anomaly was discovered during Azure’s recent fixed loop EM survey at the project and extends about 1km and remains unconstrained at depth and down dip to the north.

Drilling intercepted the massive nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation at the expected depth of 336.1m.

Intervals comprised 6.1m of blebby to matrix nickel-copper sulphides from 347.5m, 4.05m of massive nickel-copper sulphides from 354.8m, and 4.1m of heavily disseminated grading to matrix and massive nickel-copper sulphides from 359.2m.

Diamond drilling is already underway on the next hole to test for potential up-dip extensions, with further holes planned to test along strike and down-dip.

Earlier success at Andover

Today’s results follows Azure’s success in the first three holes at Andover.

Each hole had observable massive nickel-copper sulphide zones, with assays earlier this week confirming what was seen.

The first diamond hole at Andover intercepted 22.4m at 1.02% nickel and 0.55% copper from 81.6m, including 3.9m at 2.85% nickel and 0.47% copper from 94.5m.

Another zone was intercepted in the hole of 11.3m at 1.21% nickel and 0.66% copper from 110m, including 5m at 2.09% nickel and 1.14% copper from 116m.

Azure managing director Tony Rovira said the key point to take away from the company’s exploration success was that wherever an EM conductor has been drilled, nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation has been uncovered.

“The strongly mineralised intersection in [drill hole four] leads us to believe that if the 1km-long conductor plate is similarly mineralised throughout, there is excellent potential her for a major new nickel-copper deposit,” Mr Rovira added.