Oar Resources confirms presence of rock chips containing copper sulphides at Crown
Oar Resources’ fieldwork will be followed up by soil sampling ahead of a proposed maiden drilling program.
After a review of petrology, Oar Resources (ASX: OAR) has confirmed the presence of host rocks containing copper sulphides at its Crown nickel-copper-platinum group element project in Western Australia’s Julimar district.
Oar has undertaken a first phase mapping and outcrop rock chip sampling program at Crown and identified “very fine disseminated sulphides including pyrite and chalcopyrite (copper sulphide)” in a number of samples.
This identification has been described as “very encouraging” as it is a “vital setting” for discovery of nickel-copper-PGE mineralisation.
Oar general manager of geology Tony Greenaway said the petrology results validate the company’s field observations and exploration approach at Crown.
“It was also encouraging to see the petrology picking out the copper sulphide chalcopyrite in a few of the samples.”
“While these are logged as trace amounts, we can now confirm that there is copper in the system,” Mr Greenaway added.
The petrology also confirms the project’s prospectivity given it is only 8km from Chalice Mining’s (ASX: CHN) world-class Gonneville discovery.
A total of 74 rock chip samples have been submitted for analysis with results to be released as soon as they are at hand.
Ongoing exploration at Crown
With assays pending, Oar has kicked-off the next exploration stage at the project.
As part of this, the company has executed two land access agreements over priority-one target areas within the project’s southern portion.
On ground field work is underway across this area and will include systematic soil and geochemical sampling, outcrop mapping and further outcrop sampling.
This program is expected to be completed by the end of the month.
Oar is also considering carrying out airborne geophysical surveys.
The work will then feed into drill target generation followed by drilling of highest priority targets.
Crown is 70km northeast of Perth and lies on the southwestern Yilgarn Craton.
The project hosts “numerous magnetic features” that are interpreted to represent mafic volcanic rocks considered to be highly prospective for nickel-copper-PGE and gold.
Oar noted Crown is largely unexplored.