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Western Mines Completes Maiden Resource for Mulga Tank Nickel Deposit
Apr. 07, 2025 08:25AM PST
The estimate shows a total resource of 1,968 million tonnes grading 0.27 percent nickel, potentially positioning Mulga Tank as Australia’s largest nickel sulphide deposit.
statu-nascendi / iStock
Western Mines Group (ASX:WMG) has completed the first mineral resource estimate for the shallow disseminated nickel sulphide mineralisation at its flagship Mulga Tank project.
Located on the Minigwal greenstone belt in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields region, Mulga Tank is a nickel, cobalt, copper and platinum-group metals (PGMs) project.
According to Western Mines, the resource estimate is based on all of its drill results to date, and outlines a "significant mineralised zone" in the main body of the Mulga Tank complex.
The project’s total resource stands at 1,968 million tonnes grading 0.27 percent nickel, 131 parts per million (ppm) cobalt, 82 ppm copper and 17 parts per billion (ppb) platinum and palladium. It has a 0.9 sulphur to nickel ratio.
That breaks down into the following indicated and inferred category numbers:
- Indicated — 565 million tonnes grading 0.28 percent nickel, 134 ppm cobalt, 104 ppm copper, 18 ppb platinum and palladium. A sulpur to nickel ratio of one.
- Inferred — 1,403 million tonnes grading 0.27 percent nickel, 129 ppm cobalt, 73 ppm copper, 17 ppb platinum and palladium. A 0.9 sulphur to nickel ratio.
"Our exploration results from Mulga Tank have been continuously building as we unlock knowledge of the Complex and this Mineral Resource marks a culmination of that," said Wester Mines Managing Director Dr. Caedmon Marriott.
"It demonstrates what we have long stated — that the main body of the Complex hosts a globally significant nickel sulphide deposit, we believe the largest nickel sulphide deposit in Australia and top 10 in the world."
Notable nickel deposits in Australia include mining giant BHP's (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) Mount Keith operation at approximately 643.7 million tonnes at 0.58 percent nickel, and Glencore’s (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) Murrin Murrin mine, which has an estimated resource base of 268 million tonnes.
Development was halted at Mount Keith following after BHP suspended of its Nickel West operations in October 2024, while Murrin Murrin was reported to produce 34,300 tonnes of nickel in 2024. In total, approximately 110,000 tonnes of nickel were produced in Australia in 2024, 39,000 tonnes less than 2023’s 149,000 tonnes of nickel output.
The Australian government’s March 2025 resource and energy quarterly suggests nickel production could fall further in 2025 on the back of weaker prices for the metal and global oversupply.
Marriott emphasised that Mulga Tank's current resource focuses only on shallow disseminated mineralisation, meaning it could get bigger as the company's work continues, potentially becoming a large open-pit scenario.
“We’ve got more than enough tonnes, and it will get bigger still as we extend in a number of directions. We will continue to infill and upgrade the resource confidence with further drilling," he said.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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