Cassini Resources and OZ Minerals commence West Musgrave work program
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Cassini Resources (ASX: CZI) has commenced work programs with OZ Minerals (ASX: OZL) on the West Musgrave project JV (WMP), located in Western Australia.
The initial earn-in will see OZ Minerals commit up to $3 million on further scoping studies as well as test a number of regional exploration targets over a 12 month period.
The current work program includes exploration drilling targeting the Succoth and One Tree Hill prospects, a metallurgical program to optimise nickel and copper recoveries and to progress the project’s geometallurgical model, and Resource definition drilling of high-grade zones at Nebo-Babel.
Cassini picked up WA Government EIS funding to drill a diamond hole at the Babylon prospect, which is part of the broader Succoth deposit (156 million tonnes at 0.6% copper).
The award is under the co-funded drilling scheme and will refund 50 per cent of the direct drilling costs, worth up to $148,500.
At the One Tree Hill prospect previous down-hole electromagnetic (DHEM) data from historical drilling was remodelled and a poorly defined EM conductor was drill tested.
This intersected two chalcopyrite-rich veins, however the DHEM confirmed the drilling failed to intersect the original target but there was an off-hole conductor.
A single hole will be drilled to test the off-hole conductor.
Cassini carried out a Scoping Study in 2015, which included initial metallurgical testwork conducted on five composite samples, each representing different higher grade Nebo-Babel ores.
The company said its next stage, denoted Further Scoping Studies (FSS), will target the geological units (domains) which contain the bulk of the metal tonnes and those domains that are critical in the early stages of the mine schedule.
Some of the key objectives are to:
Improve scoping study nickel and copper concentrate grades and recoveries;
Test samples at the appropriate nickel and copper grades at the size they are likely to be mined; and
Test samples that cover variations in silicate and sulphide mineralogy; and test chemical variations within and between the existing geological ore domains.
Resource definition drilling will focus on a number of targets at Nebo-Babel, whch Cassini considers to represent an opportunity to increase the size of the existing high-grade domains within the deposits, and thus increase the overall grade of the resources.
The company cited examples of these targets as being massive sulphide zones at Nebo, and extensions to the Startmeup Shoot at Babel and definition of the roll-over zone at Babel.
“All of these targets have significant potential to impact project economics if further high-grade mineralisation can be found,” Cassini Resources said in its ASX announcement.
“A better understanding of these high grade domains, in terms of dip and strike extents, and variations in geometries and grade would also enable better planning of the infill drilling that will be required during the PFS for the purposes of ore reserves.
“Furthermore, additional drilling and a better understanding of the grade variations within these high-grade zones may also reduce a number of metallurgical test samples that will be required to adequately sample variations within these zones during the PFS.”
Cassini indicated the RC drilling program will comprise approximately 2,000m of drilling and will commence at the start of the 2017 field season.
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