Lunnon Metals reveals more high-grade nickel from Baker discovery
Drilling results are firming up Lunnon Metals’ Baker Shoot prospect as a high-grade, near-surface nickel discovery.
Lunnon Metals (ASX: LM8) has revealed more high-grade nickel hits from the Baker Shoot discovery within its Kambalda nickel project in Western Australia.
The company has now received all high priority assays from infill drilling undertaken before Christmas last year.
Highlight results were 6m at 5.84% nickel from 93m; 5m at 9.15% nickel from 93m; 4m at 6.38% nickel from 91m; and 7m at 5.2% nickel from 74m.
Lunnon managing director Ed Ainscough said the results extend the plunge extent of the Baker discovery to 300m.
Mineralisation also remains open in several directions.
A diamond hole drilled at the target also unearthed notable results of 14.25m at 1.8% nickel from 110m, including 2.15m at 5.53% nickel from 122.1m.
“The diamond core is firming up our view on the deposit controls and we are starting to plan ahead for how best to evaluate and test down plunge, where indications are that mineralisation may still be present for an additional 500m,” Mr Ainscough explained.
Resource estimate scheduled
With the last drill results at hand, Lunnon will focus on delivering an initial resource estimate for the Baker target.
Lunnon’s Kambalda nickel project currently has a JORC resource totalling 1.23 million tonnes at 3.2% nickel for 39,000t of contained metal.
Kambalda nickel project
The Kambalda nickel project comprises granted mining leases and is only 25km by road from BHP’s (ASX: BHP) Nickel West concentrator.
All-up the project covers 23 square kilometres and comprises 19 contiguous mining leases. It is within the state’s renowned Kambalda nickel district, which has produced more than 1.4 million tonnes of nickel metal.
WMC Resources first discovered nickel in the district in 1966. The region is also known to host gold with more than 15Moz produced.
Lunnon’s Baker discovery is just 350m to 400m from the West Idough historic gold mine.
The company says this offers an “attractive access point” for any future underground nickel mining.