The Conversation (0)
NickelSearch Limited (ASX: NIS) (NiS or Company) is pleased to provide an update on diamond drilling completed at the Sexton Prospect at its Carlingup Nickel Sulphide Project (Carlingup) near Ravensthorpe in Western Australia. Both diamond drillholes (DD) at Sexton intersected visual sulphides1 in the UMH and LMH, with both horizons intersected at shallower depths than expected in the second DD.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Massive sulphide mineralisation intersected in both the Upper Mineralised Horizon (UMH) and Lower Mineralised Horizon (LMH) in two diamond drillholes at the Sexton Prospect.
- Multiple sulphide intersections previously reported over a 9.85 metre interval in diamond drill hole 23NRD028.
- Diamond drill hole 23NDD030 intersected massive sulphides in the same horizon, which demonstrates the nickel mineralisation continues 60m further along strike, extending the total strike length to 250m.
- Assays from the two diamond holes at Sexton expected in early August, and follow-up downhole electromagnetic (DHEM) surveys are now planned for these diamond holes to further test the extent of the sulphide mineralisation, which exhibits a strong DHEM anomaly response.
- Diamond drilling underway at the high priority B1 Prospect, where recent reverse-circulation (RC) drilling intersected nickel sulphides (see announcement 25 May 2023).
NickelSearch’s Managing Director, Nicole Duncan, commented:
“We are delighted to report that we have once again intersected visual sulphides, including massive sulphide mineralisation, in our diamond drilling program at Sexton, one of our highly prospective targets at Carlingup.
“The hole confirmed the presence of nickel sulphide mineralisation sitting in a structure located at relatively shallow depths of ~145m and starting quite close to surface at ~40m, which is particularly pleasing. This mineralisation was intersected shallower than anticipated, and our planned DHEM surveys in the DD will allow for more constrained models and show where the intersections are in respect of the new models. We eagerly look forward to assay results in the coming weeks.”
SEXTON DIAMOND DRILLING
The drilling program at Sexton targeted two distinct bodies of mineralisation encountered in earlier RC drilling and corroborated by DHEM surveys. The primary aim for the drilling was to identify the massive sulphides associated with the LMH, with the holes also designed to test the potential for further nickel sulphide mineralisation within the UMH.
Analysis following completion of the drilling confirms the overall strike length of Sexton mineralisation to extend to 250m and remains open both up- and down-plunge. To date, the drilling has shown there are multiple horizons of nickeliferous sulphide, shallowly plunging to the southeast, with the up- and down- dip extents undefined and open along strike. The mineralisation intersected is at the upper and lower contact of a banded iron formation (BIF) unit, within the ultramafic. In addition to sulphides on the BIF contacts, there are sulphides internal to the ultramafics. The amount and thickness of sulphide that has been intersected in each hole is variable, which is not uncommon in nickel sulphide systems that can pinch and swell.
The two holes successfully intersected sources of the DHEM plates modelled from the previous RC drilling. The intersections were shallower than anticipated, with multiple sulphide intersections. The planned DHEM surveys will now be completed to allow for more constrained models and in conjunction with assay results allow for the generation of follow up drill targets to extend mineralisation and vector in on higher grade zones.
Figure 1: Plan of the Sexton area. The DHEM plate models, associated with the massive sulphide intersections, plunge shallowly to the east-southeast. 23NDD030 246116mE 6278495mN 165mRL -68° towards 040° (GDA94/MGA51).
Figure 2: Intersection of nickeliferous sulphides in drillhole 23NDD030, with some massive sulphide intersections highlighted
LOGGING RESULTS
In the first diamond hole at Sexton (23NRD028), the mineralisation is spread over nine metres and includes a number of intervals of various thickness of net textured/matrix to semi-massive/ massive sulphides. The sulphides are predominantly pyrrhotite +/- pentlandite and pyrite, with minor chalcopyrite. For full details of this logging, please refer to ASX Announcement dated 14 June 2023 – “Massive visual sulphide intersected at Sexton”.
Click here for the full ASX Release
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