Auroch Minerals Confirms High-Grade Nickel at Saints
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Auroch Minerals (ASX: AOU) announced the first assay results to emerge from the first drilling program undertaken at the company’s recently-acquired Saints nickel project northwest of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
Auroch Minerals said the results from diamond drill-hole SNDD005 confirmed extremely high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation, in particular high-grade nickel, including:
1.77 metres at 6.72 per cent nickel, 0.27 per cent copper and 0.13 per cent cobalt from 227.31m down-hole, including 0.50m at 9.98 per cent nickel, 0.24 per cent copper and 0.2 per cent cobalt.
The company explained the drill-hole was part of infill drilling at the Saint Patricks target area aimed at confirming the continuity of the high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation intersected in historic drill-holes drilled by WMC in the 1990s.
Auroch claimed the intersection not only confirmed the existing mineralisation model, but the nickel grade exceeded all previous intersections.
Down-hole electromagnetic (DHEM) surveys completed last week identified a very strong EM conductor in close proximity to drill-holes SNDD001 and SNDD002 of a high conductance (over 13,000S) that Auroch identified to be typical of that caused by massive sulphide mineralisation.
The company considers the proximity of the modelled EM plate to the known high-grade nickel mineralisation on the Western Contact increases the probability that such massive sulphides may be nickel-bearing.
Auroch believes DHEM is an extremely important tool for targeting potential massive nickel sulphide mineralisation, and indicated it would be using the DHEM information gained from this program in modelling drill targets for the next phase of drilling to begin in early 2020.
“We are very encouraged by the first assay results from our maiden drilling program at the Saints nickel project,” Auroch Minerals managing director Aidan Platel said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.
“The extremely high-grade of the nickeliferous massive sulphides intersected in drill-hole SNDD005 exceeded our expectations and highlight that we are in a very nickel-rich ultramafic system at Saints that is capable of hosting a major nickel sulphide deposit.
“The initial results from our DHEM surveys completed last week are also very encouraging, with a strong EM conductor on the Western Contact potentially representing extensions to the known high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation, providing an exciting drill target that we will test as soon as practicable.
“With drilling ongoing, assay results for the first six holes pending, and further DHEM results to come, it is an exciting time for Auroch and the Saints nickel project.”
Email: admin@aurochminerals.com
