Western Mines intersects visible nickel sulphides at Mulga Tank project
Western Mines 在 Mulga Tank 的初始 10 孔金刚石钻探计划旨在根据勘探目标工作测试地质和地球物理区域。
Western Mines Group (ASX: WMG) has intersected areas of visible nickel sulphides in the first hole of a diamond drilling program at its flagship Mulga Tank nickel-copper-PGE (platinum group elements) project in Western Australia.
The hole is part of an initial 10-hole program for a total 4,050 metres to test numerous drill targets identified from a recent high-powered moving loop electromagnetic (MLEM) survey.
It was drilled to a total depth of 498m to test the western margin of the intrusion between two historic holes and the southern end of the W conductor.
Two zones of high-tenor sulphides were identified and spot pXRF (portable X-ray fluorescence) readings of up to 26% nickel have been considered a “very encouraging start” to the program.
The readings confirm Western Mines’ geological modelling of the intrusion and the overall prospectivity of the Mulga Tank project for high-grade mineralisation.
The zones were identified at 291m and 386m depth with sulphides generally found in veinlets of between 5% and 10% sulphide content.
pXRF readings
Spot pXRF readings were taken at 50 centimetre intervals down the core, with 826 readings collected from 92m to end-of-hole.
The mean average nickel value across all 826 readings was 0.24%, while the mean average nickel value for 675 readings of the logged ultramafic portion of the hole was 0.36%.
Individual spot values of up to 26.1% occurred at the point of visible sulphide mineralisation.
Western Mines said the results were positive and “appear to confirm the presence of high-tenor nickel sulphides (pentlandite) within the mineral system” with prospectivity of the project for high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation.
EM anomaly
While buoyed by the initial results, Western Mines said they failed to address an electromagnetic (EM) anomaly at the drill location.
“These veinlet textures, coupled with the observation of millerite along with pentlandite, suggest they are most likely remobilised sulphides, potentially from a nearby massive sulphide source,” it said.
“Nothing down the hole definitively explained the EM anomaly at the modelled depth but was mostly likely the sulphidic black shale unit at the base … potentially the sulphide veinlets may be coalescing into larger sulphide sheets.”
The drill rig has now moved north to commence work at a planned second hole, targeting the western basal contact of the intrusion to around 450m depth.