Metallum achieves best ever copper result at El Roble

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Metallum (ASX: MNE) has completed follow-up sampling at the San Sebastian exploration tunnel, part of the company’s El Roble copper project in Chile.

Metallum claims the recent work has returned high-grade copper and gold results including:

0.55 metres at 35 per cent copper and 4.29 grams per tonne gold;

0.5m at 18.55 per cent copper and 1.17g/t gold;

0.6m at 12.85 per cent copper and 2.81g/t gold;

1.5m at 9.15 per cent copper and 1.15g/t gold.

The company indicated the San Sebastian mineralised lens has now been defined over 30m strike length, averaging 1.6m width at 5.94 per cent copper and 2.10g/t Au.

Metallum has mapped more than 60 kilometres of mineralised veins at the the El Roble copper project and has begun work installing an exploration tunnel along the length of the San Sebastian vein with the latest assays having defined high-grade copper and gold mineralisation over more than 30m.

 

Map of the north east sector of the El Roble project showing the
location of the San Sebastian mine with in a strike continuous
mineralised corridor where Metallum has mapped more than 60km of
prospective veins. Source: Company announcement

 

To date, Metallum has installed approximately 35m of tunnel along the vein on the 1040 Level and delineated a 30m long high-grade copper and gold zone.

Metallum managing director Zeff Reeves said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“These results demonstrate the very high-grade nature of mineralisation at San Sebastian,”

“We have just obtained the highest ever copper result from any work we have done at El Roble, which is 35 per cent copper over 0.55 metres width.

“In addition, the vein contains good gold results, averaging more than two grams per tonne gold, with the highest grade reported to date of 16.15 grams per tonnes.

“We’ve applied for a mining licence and this lens of mineralisation will provide a good zone to commence vertical mining up to the 1090 Level, approximately 40 metres above the tunnel we’re installing, once we receive the permit.”

Website: www.metallum.com.au

Cradle confirms high-grade zone at Panda Hill

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Cradle Resources (ASX: CXX) has received assay results from the latest drilling carried out at the company’s Panda Hill niobium project in Tanzania.

The drilling consisted two diamond and 11 RC holes of the Phase 1 drill program at Panda Hill.

Cradle said its first stage of drilling activities is now complete, with a total of 78 holes drilled, targeting mineralisation in only the first 100 metres of the deposit.

Drilling conducted in the newly-discovered southern high-grade area of mineralisation, which has recently been named the Angel zone, (RC holes PHRC036 to PHRC042) returned consistent wide, high-grade intercepts associated with carbonatite lithologies.

 

Panda Hill resource drilling grid showing the location of recent drill
holes as well as 2014 holes already reported (red) and holes with assays
pending (yellow). Source: Company announcement

 

Cradle claims all holes drilled into the Angel zone have ended in mineralisation, including:

PHRC042
42 metres at 1.14 per cent niobium (equivalent to 5.4g/t gold);

PHRC037
81m at 0.91 per cent niobium (equivalent to 4.3g/t gold);

PHRC041
50m at 0.82 per cent niobium (equivalent to 3.9g/t gold);

PHRC040
74m at 0.76 per cent niobium (equivalent to 3.6g/t gold);

PHRC036
50m at 0.73 per cent niobium EOH (equivalent to 3.5g/t gold); and

PHRC038
70m at 0.63 per cent niobium (equivalent to 3.0g/t gold).

Other high-grade intercepts to the north include:

PHRC031
50m at 0.6 per cent niobium (equivalent to 2.8g/t gold) from surface;

PHRC032
32m at 0.74 per cent niobium (equivalent to 3.5g/t gold) from 4m; and

PHRC034
38m at 0.69 per cent niobium (equivalent to 3.3g/t gold) from surface in.

“The results from the high-grade Angel zone are very encouraging,” Cradle Resources managing director Grant Davey said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“This zone hosts a broad, deep and wide high-grade core to the deposit which is likely to be an attractive starter pit.

“The Panda Hill project continues to show the attributes of a world-class niobium deposit with an excellent combination of grades and metallurgical recoveries.

“Of significance in the niobium industry is the recent sale by Iamgold of their Niobec mine for $500 million.

“Our scoping study, combined with these exciting drilling results, indicates that the Panda Hill project could produce similar volumes of ferro-niobium as the Niobec mine at substantially lower operating costs.”

Website: www.cradleresources.com.au

Parmelia prepares Dunnsville EM survey

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Parmelia Resources (ASX: PML) is preparing a deep-penetrating moving-loop electromagnetic (MLEM) survey to be conducted over the Southern and Northern high-priority nickel-sulphide exploration targets at the Dunnsville nickel prospect.

The Dunnsville prospect is located within the company’s Jaurdi Hills project, 50 kilometres north-west of Coolgardie in Western Australia.

The company has engaged Gap Geophysics to conduct the survey, which it anticipates will commence in three to four weeks’ time and take two to three weeks to complete.

 

Map of proposed Dunnsville nickel prospect MLEM program featuring exploration targets. Source: Company announcement

 

Parmelia explained the survey will be carried out using a high-power Gap GeoPak MLTX-200 transmitter generating a current of approximately 140 amps through a 200 metre by 200 metre transmitter loop, a SMARTem24 receiver and an EMIT three-component Fluxgate receiver sensor.

Line spacing will be 200m closing to 100m in proximity to the Southern Target GEOTEM anomaly and along-line receiver station spacing will be 50m for all lines. Gap’s ‘deep-looking’, high-sensitivity SAMSON receiver may also be used for a portion of the survey if warranted.
 
“The program will commence at the Southern Target followed by the Northern Target with consideration given to testing for conductivity responses at the other priority targets identified along the Jaurdi Hills Ultramafic Belt depending on exploration success at the high priority targets,” Parmelia Resources said in its ASX announcement.

“In addition, planning and permitting (including POW applications), is well advanced to allow immediate drill-testing of prospective bedrock conductivity targets identified by the EM survey.

“These approvals are expected to be received in two to three weeks’ time.

“Drilling program details will be announced once planning is finalised and government approvals have been received.”

Email: info@parmeliaresources.com.au

Website: www.parmeliaresources.com.au

Minotaur JV partner fast-forwards $6M exploration spend

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Minotaur Exploration’s (ASX: MEP) Eloise copper Joint Venture partners have committed to a $6 million accelerated exploration program through to June 2015.

The program is to include new ground geophysics and deep drilling at the Artemis copper-gold-zinc prospect 50 kilometres southeast of Cloncurry in Queensland.

 

The Eloise copper Joint Venture tenements (dark blue) and location of
Artemis prospect and Sandy Creek resource. Source: Company announcement

 

The Eloise copper JV is managed and operated by Minotaur Exploration while exploration expenditure is contributed by Adelaide based joint venture partner Golden Fields Resources (GFR).

GFR will earn a 50 per cent beneficial joint venture interest upon expenditure of $6 million over 4 years.

The JV covers tenements EPM 17838 and EPM 18442, but excludes parts subject to the Altia joint venture Minotaur has with Sandfire Resources (ASX: SFR).

As at the present time, GFR has earned 15 per cent beneficial interest in the tenements.

Minotaur said the new workplan and budget, which has been approved by the joint venture committee, represents a major scaling-up of its partner’s spend rate to such an extent that it will earn its 50 per cent beneficial project interest by end March 2015, 33 months earlier than expected.

“The JV party’s commitment to ramp-up its investment rate represents a significant endorsement of copper-gold prospectivity across the JV tenements and Minotaur’s project management performance,” Minotaur Exploration said in its ASX announcement.

Already, low-frequency, high-power, fixed-loop B-Field EM surveys are underway at Artemis with loop orientations relative to the plunge of mineralisation at Artemis guiding drill positions.

Down-hole EM will be used in each borehole to check conductor continuity between holes and refine dip orientation of conductive plates.

The EM system will be then deployed to the adjacent Sandy Creek deposit to locate potential high-grade pods within the resource.

Minotaur explained a large number of ground EM verified VTEM targets in the vicinity of Artemis remain untested and that the new budget provides funding to drill test 10 basement conductors, all of which have potential to host iron sulphide copper-gold mineralisation similar to Artemis.

“As mineralised geometries are refined a second rig with wedge capability and power to drill to 600 metre depth will be introduced for in-fill drilling at 25 metre centres, to check continuity between sections,” the company said.

“Once both rigs are on site the drilling operation will expand to 24-hour cover and is expected to continue over 4 months for 40 boreholes.

“Subject to geological variations, drill intensity is intended to allow estimation of a JORC Indicated resource for Artemis and an upgrade of the Sandy Creek historic resource.”

The new workplan is set to greatly enhance the rate of joint venture investment at the Eloise project with GFR’s 50 per cent beneficial interest now forecast to be achieved in March 2015.

Once this occurs each party will contribute equally to project expenditures.

Minotaur’s contribution from that time and through to June 2015 will be approx. $0.85 million.

Email: admin@minotaurexploration.com.au

Website: www.minotaurexploration.com.au

White Cliff hits new mineralised zones

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: White Cliff Minerals (ASX: WCN) has received results from the first two reverse circulation drill holes completed at the Lower Gold Zone (LGZ) area of the Aucu deposit, located near the company’s Chanach copper-gold deposit in the Kyrgyz Republic.

White Cliff claims the drilling has identified extensive high-grade mineralisation within multiple shear zones with assay results returing:

6 metres at 13.1 grams per tonne gold including 1m at 23.1g/t gold from 47m;

5m at 6.2g/t gold from 82m;

8m at 6.7g/t gold from 56m;

3m at 8.2g/t gold from 83m; and

1m at 12.3g/t gold and 1m at 10.3g/t gold.

White Cliff said the new results support previously announced results from the Aucu Copper Gold Zone (CGZ) where the first six reverse circulation drill holes identified high-grade mineralisation within two shear zones.

 

Interpreted mineralised zones (red hatched areas) with drilling locations. Source: Company announcement

 

The company claims it has now confirmed high-grade gold mineralisation occurs within both the Aucu Copper-Gold Zone and the Lower Gold Zone (LGZ) and that the two mineralised systems are parallel and approximately 100m apart.

Mineralisation starts at the surface, is high-grade and has been identified to at least 100m vertical depth in both systems and is open along strike in both directions.

Drilling is ongoing at both zones.

“The identification of a second highly mineralised gold system at Aucu indicates that the scale of the gold mineralisation is significant,” White Cliff Minerals managing director Todd Hibberd said in the comaopny’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“The new high-grade drilling results are exceptional and make us very confident that this is a significant gold discovery.

“The scale and grade of the mineralised system is outstanding and augers very well for the future of the project and the company”

Email: info@wcminerals.com.au

Website: www.wcminerals.com.au

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go

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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.

Drill testing commences at Ongombo deposit

Namibian Copper (ASX: NCO) has commenced a drilling program at the company’s Ongombo copper-silver project in central Namibia.

The drilling program is planned to test near-surface mineralisation in the Central Shoot of the Ongombo deposit.

The drilling is expected to take eight weeks to complete and assay results will be available approximately four weeks after completion.

This first drilling program by NCO on the Central Shoot at Ongombo will collect information to both support ongoing feasibility studies for mining development and to test for extensions of the mineral resource, particularly the down-plunge extension of higher-grade zones within the shoot.

Results of the work will be used to refine the company’s development strategy for the Ongombo deposit.


Drilling to begin at Bennet Well

Cauldron Energy (ASX: CXU) is set to kick off a 10,000 metre drilling program at the company’s wholly-owned Bennet Well uranium deposit in Western Australia.

The $1.5 million mud-rotary drill program has been cleared to proceed.

This work will test the potential for uranium mineralisation and extension to the resource that may be minable by in-situ leach methods.

The current program involves drilling approximately 100 drill holes (10,000 drill metres).

Last month, Cauldron announced an 18 per cent resource upgrade at Bennet Well based on eight diamond drill holes.

The company expects results from this drilling program to provide a better understanding of the extractive mineralogy and better define and extend the high-grade zone of the mineralisation.

The next step in the Bennet Well project development, following the successful completion of this drill program, will be the testing of the extraction of uranium via an in-situ leach test currently planned for June 2015 Quarter.


Diamond drilling at PM prospect

Venus Metals (ASX: VMC) has commenced diamond drilling at the PM prospect, within the company’s Copper Hills project.

The PM prospect contains structurally controlled copper-zinc mineralisation and is located in a 1.5 kilometre long curvilinear shear zone in carbonate-graphite-chlorite schist within amphibolite.

The presence of a strong EM conductor at depth (as modelled by the company’s geophysical consultants) suggests this shear zone mineralisation may overlie a much larger poly-metallic hydrothermal sulphide zone at depth.

Three diamond drill holes are planned to test the modelled EM conductors.

Kin Mining detects two strong EM conductors at Kingfisher

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Kin Mining (ASX: KIN) has informed the market of two strong bedrock electromagnetic (EM) conductors identified by a recently-completed surface Moving Loop Electromagnetic (MLEM) survey at the Kingfisher nickel-copper-PGE prospect (M40/330).

The Kingfisher prospect is of the company’s Desdemona project area just south of Leonora in Western Australia.
The two bedrock electromagnetic (EM) conductors have been named the Lennie’s prospect.

The first is positioned along strike of basal contact and the second is immediately west of the contact.

 

Kingfisher TMI image displaying MLEM stations and the identified
conductors north of the known basal contact. Source: Company
announcement

 

“The bedrock conductors are located in a prospective geological corridor north of the recognised basal contact, in an area that has only been tested with limited shallow RAB drilling,” Kin Mining said in its ASX announcement.

KIN said its geological team previously identified an extensive zone of strong secondary nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE surface enrichment in a weathered peridotite at the Kingfisher prospect.

The mineralisation correlates with historical basal contact ore-grade nickel and copper sulphide intersections with associated platinum and palladium.

The deepest drill intersection from previous exploration activity within the project returned 0.3 metres at 0.75 per cent nickel and 4.8 per cent copper from 152.7m, below this depth and along strike the structure remains untested.

Kin said its initial interpretation of the bulls-eye aeromagnetic signature at Kingfisher indicates the basal contact extends over a strike length of at least 1.4km.

“The MLEM geophysical survey has identified the anomalies north of the plotted contact, suggesting either an extension to the basal contact zone or an area of structural complexity associated with mafic intrusives,” the copany said.

“The recently identified conductors are within this untested northern zone.

“A follow-up Moving Loop Electromagnetic (MLEM) survey will be undertaken as soon practicable to determine and fully test the exact extent and spatial position of the conductors, with a view to subsequently testing the features with Reverse Circulation and/or diamond drilling.”

Email: info@kinmining.com.au

Website: www.kinmining.com.au

Kula Gold trenching highlights possible Woodlark extension

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Kula Gold Limited (ASX: KGD) has completed a series of exploration trenches at the Watou prospect, located approximately 900 metres south of the company’s Woodlark King deposit in Papua New Guinea.

The company claims the trenching has returned further ore grade assay results from the Watou prospect, which it appraised to be an extension of the Woodlark King deposit.

Kula Gold said it had identified the Watou prospect to be a possible extension of the Woodlark King deposit via a new Exploration Model, which the company has developed from analysis of recently acquired Helimag data and previous geological knowledge.

A total of 552 metres of reconnaissance trenches were completed within the Watou target area with 143m of the trenches being sampled based on the presence of visual alteration.

 

Location of Watou prospect in relationship to the Woodlark King deposit
and Little Mackenzie prospect. Source: Company announcement

 

Kula gold said the sampling results indicate the presence of at least five individual parallel zones of mineralisation, associated with a NW trending felsic dyke swarm intruding the andesitic volcanics.

These linear zones of mineralisation were intercepted by the reconnaissance trenches in a number of places and returned the following assay results:

10 metres at 1.6 grams per tonne gold;

15m at 1.6g/t gold;

10m at 3.4g/t gold;

2m at 25.3g/t gold;

4m at 5.9g/t gold;

4m at 3.1g/t gold; and

3m at 4.4g/t gold.

“The return of ore grade gold mineralisation in the series of trenches at the Watou prospect continues to demonstrates that the new Exploration Model is an effective on-ground targeting tool,” Kula Gold CEO Stuart Pether said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“We are encouraged that the further discovery of ore grade mineralisation along the Woodlark King Illawarra Fault Zone confirms the area as highly prospective and supports the recent investment in high quality magnetics data to drive the goal of doubling the Woodlark Island Resources.

“We are very pleased with the continued success of the 2014 exploration program and continue to be confident that the program will result in an increase in the size and quality of Kula’s current 2.1 million ounce gold Mineral Resource at Woodlark.”

Email: info@kulagold.com.au

Website: www.kulagold.com.au

Rox intersects massive copper sulphides at Bonya

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Rox Resources (ASX: RXL) has encountered visible massive copper sulphide mineralisation whilst undertaking reverse circulation (RC) drilling at the company’s Bonya project, located 350 kilometres east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

The drilling targeted three electromagnetic anomalies Rox had defined earlier this year, and at the Bonya mine.

The best results achieved came from the Bonya Mine prospect the drilling intersected a massive copper sulphide mineralised body in three drill holes from near surface to a depth of approximately 100 metres.

Rox said this body remains open at depth and that its true width appears to vary in thickness from 6 to 18m.

Drilling at EM Anomalies 03 and 04 also intersected visible copper sulphide mineralisation over narrow widths, while drilling at EM Anomaly 05 intersected abundant pyrite and explained the EM anomaly.

 

RC chips of massive copper sulphide mineralisation from hole BYRC009. Source: Company announcement

 

Results using a portable XRF analyser indicate grades exceeding 3 per cent copper over downhole widths from 6 to 24m with peak copper portable XRF analyses returning up to 13 per cent copper.

Rox stressed, however, the portable XRF analyser does only provide guidance to expected results and should not at this stage of proceedings be regarded as a substitute for properly conducted laboratory sample preparation and analyses.

To that end, samples have been sent to the assay laboratory and Rox anticipates results within 2 to 3 weeks.

“These initial drilling results from Bonya are very encouraging, establishing that copper sulphide mineralisation is present in massive form below the old workings at Bonya and also present elsewhere over narrower widths,” Rox Resources managing director Ian Mulholland said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“We look forward to receiving the full assays and determining the next drilling program for the project.”

Email: admin@roxresources.com.au

Website: www.roxresources.com.au

Kasbah drilling extends tin mineralisation

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Kasbah Resources (ASX: KAS) has completed an extensional drilling program at the Western Zone Shallow (WZS) of the company’s Achmmach tin project in Morocco.

The drilling program was carried out with the aim of extending the footprint of the Mineral Resource for the WZS Kasbah announced in February 2014 by testing the down dip extent of the existing resource.

The company said three reported drill holes have extended the tin mineralisation outside the current resource model.

Highlights from the recent program:

3 metres at 2.53 per cent tin from 127.5m;

9.4m at 0.93 per cent tin from 164.8m, including 4m at 1.41 per cent tin from 168m;

2.2m at 1.23 per cent tin from 120.8m; and

3.4m at 0.93 per cent tin from 42.2m.

The WZS target is on the western edge of the Sidi Addi Trend, which sits 500m to the north of the well-defined, 1.6 kilometre long Meknes Trend at Achmmach.

The company explained these WZS drill holes are the first it has conducted to test the potential for deeper stacked tin lodes within the Sidi Addi Trend.

 

Achmmach tin project – Meknes Trend and Sidi Addi Trend location plan
(WZS and Northern Zone drilling locations depicted and tourmalinised
outcrops shown in blue). Source: Company announcement

 

“These latest results confirm the persistence of tin mineralisation systems outside the currently defined shallow resource model for the WZS,” Kasbah Resources managing director Wayne Bramwell said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Importantly, they also provide more perspective to the deeper, under-explored Sidi Addi Trend and the potential for upside to the base case Achmmach DFS via mine life extensions from this parallel tin system.”

According to Kasbah, the International Tin Research Institute (ITRI) reported on 2 October 2014 the average of all undeveloped tin resources in the world is approximately 0.4 per cent tin.

Kasbah claims its WZS resource, as reported on 6 February 2014, is in excess of double this average grade and is classified to JORC 2012 Indicated status.

The company indicated a new resource estimate and mine design for the WZS will commence on receipt of all outstanding assays.

Seven holes directed to test the down dip extent of the current resource are still pending.

A new resource estimate and mine design will commence once these results have been received.

Email: info@kasbahresources.com

Website: www.kasbahresources.com