Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Each week any number of junior exploration plays set out to drill their ground. Here’s a small selection of what’s been happening this week.
Drilling of Pallatu nickel targets
Musgrave Minerals (ASX: MGV) has commenced drilling on the Pallatu 6 and 7 ground electromagnetic (EM) targets, located on the Deering Hills project, within the company’s wholly-owned tenement EL5317, in the Musgrave Province of South Australia.
“The Musgrave province is one of the most prospective areas for nickel sulphide mineralisation in Australia, and we are looking forward to drill testing these new EM targets.” Musgrave Minerals managing director Rob Waugh said.
“We know we are in a prospective zone having previously intersected massive and disseminated nickel sulphide only one kilometre away on a parallel mafic/ultramafic intrusive.
“We have been working closely with the CSIRO and are encouraged by the prospectivity of the target area.”
The planned program will consist of approximately 500m of diamond drilling over the two targets and will take approximately two to three weeks to complete with results expected by late August.
Walford Creek Drilling
Aeon Metals (ASX: AQR) has commenced drilling ta the company’s recently-acquired Walford Creek project.
Aeon intends to drill a total of approximately 12,000 metres over the two dry seasons, 2014 and 2015.
The proposed drilling has been designed with the objective of increasing the defined Resource and outlining mining and metallurgical parameters for a pre-feasibility study by December 2015.
“This drilling program is the beginning of the next important phase for Walford Creek,” Aeon Metals managing director Hamish Collins said.
“Whilst there has been a lot of drilling over the last three years, some 15,000 metres, which has provided the basis for our JORC Resource, we are now in the project definition phase which includes further Resource definition drilling, as well as establishing metallurgical and mining parameters, and preparing a pre-feasibility study.”
Drilling permit approved for Ilo Este
Latin Resources (ASX: LRS) has received approval of the Ilo Este drilling permit by the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines.
The company has immediately requested authorisation for commencement of exploration activities from the same Government entity, which is expected within the prescribed 20 day period.
Once authorised, Latin Resources anticipates mobilisation of equipment to site early August.
Next phase of drilling commenced at Kumarina
Horseshoe Metals (ASX: HOR) has commenced the next phase of drilling at the company’s copper-gold projects in the Gascoyne district in Western Australia.
Aa Reverse Circulation (RC) drill program totalling approximately 2,000 metres has commenced at the Kumarina copper project, which will be the initial phase of drilling designed to test exploration targets at the project’s Snell North prospect plus the Snell Shear Zone and follow-up drilling at the old Kumarina copper mine.
Horseshoe Metals also plans to conduct a follow up drill program of up to five deep RC holes at the Kumarina Deeps prospect in August/September 2014.
This program will be co-funded under the WA State Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme, which will contribute up to $100,000 towards this program.
The company then intends to commence its next phase of drilling at the Horseshoe Lights copper-gold project, once drilling at the Kumarina project is complete.
Plans for drilling at Horseshoe Lights are currently underway.
Drilling underway at Panda Hill
Cradle Resources (ASX: CXX) has commenced drilling activities at the company’s Panda Hill niobium project, located in the Mbeya region in south western Tanzania.
The first phase of the drilling program comprises diamond drill holes and RC drill holes for a total of 78 holes being drilled.
The company said the first phase of drilling is anticipated to be completed by the end of September, with assay results expected between mid-August and early November.
The drilling is centred on a resource area the Cradle defined during its 2013 drilling program and has been designed to: improve delineation of the different ore types; increase the confidence of the current model resource; obtain representative samples for metallurgical test work; and collect geotechnical information.