Impact Minerals uncovers ‘very high grade’ PGE, nickel and copper at Broken Hill
A pinch out hole to the east of Plat Central returned 1m at 22.7g/t 7PGE, 3.3% nickel, 1% copper and 23g/t silver from 62m.
Impact Minerals (ASX: IPT) has uncovered “very high grade” platinum group elements along with nickel and copper at its Plat Central prospect within its Broken Hill project in New South Wales.
Assays have confirmed hand-held XRF readings of nickel and copper and Impact’s proprietary ratio that shows a positive correlation with PGE grades.
Impact’s formulation is based on its in-house research and the origin of unusual ultramafic and mafic rocks that host “exceptional” nickel-copper-PGE grades.
The company’s ratio demonstrates a positive correlation with PGE grades and offers a possible vector towards higher grade zones.
A “pinch out” hole to the east of the basal channel at Plat Central returned 1m at 22.7 grams per tonne 7PGE, 3.3% nickel, 1% copper and 23g/t silver from 62m.
The 7PGE is made up of 10.9g/t palladium, 7.3g/t platinum, 0.9g/t rhodium, 1.3g/t osmium, 1.4g/t iridium, 0.6g/t ruthenium and 0.1g/t gold.
Other notable assays from the four key drill holes were 7m at 3.8g/t 7PGE, 0.6% copper, 0.5% nickel and 9.4g/t silver from 53m; 3m at 3.3g/t 3PGE, 0.6% copper and 0.4% nickel from 52m; and 2m at 1.4g/t 3PGE and 0.3% copper from 35m.
Within these intercepts were numerous higher-grade intervals.
Impact noted its technology along with its sulphide fractionation model is a predictor of PGE grade and would be used to guide further drilling.
The prospective basal channel at Plat Central has been defined 25m up dip to the south, with drilling to now target the channel down dip to the north.
Mineralisation similar to WA’s Kambalda district
According to Impact, channels similar to Plat Central are found in Western Australia’s world class Kambalda nickel mining district.
In this district, channels are usually 5-7m thick and up to 100m wide and can extend for kilometres along the trend of the channel.
By comparison, the Plat Central channel occurs at a scale of tens of metres with Impact theorising the channel may widen and lead to the formation of a much larger body of massive high grade nickel-copper sulphide.