Pioneer Resources identifies priority nickel targets at Fairwater
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Pioneer Resources (ASX: PIO) has completed a gravity survey at the company’s Fairwater nickel project in the Albany-Fraser Orogen in south east Western Australia.
The survey identified three gravity peaks, which the company said represent targets for future exploration work.
Pioneer indicated that while geophysical processing is continuing, the company has been encouraged by the geological context provided by the amalgamated interpretations of gravity, magnetics, soil geochemistry and drilling results it has achieved to date.
The gravity survey located zones of increasing rock density, which Pioneer feel may be related to the feeder zones (or chonoliths) for the interpreted Fairwater mafic-ultramafic conduit sill-dyke system.
The three gravity peaks have been identified as:
The G1 peak
Located towards the centre of the Fairwater Intrusion, and coincides with the principle Fairwater nickel-chromium soil geochemistry anomaly.
It also coincides with peak copper-platinum-palladium (nickel pathfinder) soil geochemistry responses.
Litho-geochemistry from diamond drill holes FWDD001-003 provided a general nickel mineralisation vector direction towards the centre of the Fairwater Intrusion, and the G1 gravity feature.
The G2 peak
Located towards the northern end of the Fairwater Intrusion.
When observations are considered along with the geological interpretation from Pioneer’s drilling programs, the G1 and G2 peaks may represent components of the intrusive core that is flanked by the flatter-lying sills intersected in aircore drilling.
The G3 peak
Located towards the southern end of the Fairwater Intrusion adjacent to a magnetic high, and possibly offset by faulting from the ultramafic unit(s) hosting the G1 and G2 anomalies.
Information suggests a westerly dip to the eastern-most ultramafic sill, which is consistent with that seen in aircore and diamond drilling from the 2015 programs.
“Geoscientific observations made at Fairwater continue to be consistent with a ‘chonolith’ nickel sulphide environment, and as modelling continues, plans to test the three priority targets, now refined by the gravity survey, by reverse circulation drilling followed by high-power down-hole EM surveys, will be firmed up for the June quarter 2016,” Pioneer Resources managing director David Crook said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.
Pioneer explained that the geological model being developed from the gravity survey will be further refined using aeromagnetic data and direct geological information from the drill programs.
A drill program to test the resulting targets will then be finalised, initially utilising reverse circulation drilling to provide a platform for high power down-hole EM surveys.
Website: www.pioresources.com.au