THE DRILL SERGEANT: Pioneer Resources (ASX: PIO) has identified a new, high-priority nickel sulphide target at the company’s 75 per cent-held Fairwater project in the Albany-Fraser Province in south-east Western Australia.

Pioneer defined the target, currently designated FWNi003, from results of a recent reconnaissance soil geochemistry program at the project, which included 698 new samples at the target.

The company said it had received a technical report received from a geochemistry consultant, which gave an interpretation of these latest soil geochemistry results.

The report highlighted the FWNi003 nickel sulphide target to be a standout.

Pioneer described the target to be a nickel anomaly with supporting coincident copper, chrome and platinum group element (PGE) results.

The company explained these elements are generally recognised as pathfinders when exploring for magmatic nickel sulphide deposits.

“The Pioneer board, management and specialist consultants are very encouraged by the latest available data,” Pioneer Resources managing director David Crook said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“The FWNi003 anomaly has already fulfilled the objective of our recent soil geochemistry program, which was to define nickel-chromium, with copper and platinum group element soil anomalism that coincide with aeromagnetic highs, being the characteristic signatures of a potentially mineralised mafic-ultramafic intrusion such as that hosting the Nova and Bollinger nickel-copper deposits.”

Pioneer has previously informed the market of progress at other high-priority nickel-copper-chromium and VTEM anomalies, including initial targets at FWNi001 and FWNi002.

Regional interpreted geology, nickel and gold prospects. Source: Company announcement

These prospects remain within a pipeline of exploration targets Pioneer is advancing towards drill-testing.

In addition, three other nickel and six gold target areas have been reconnaissance-sampled following up anomalies in sampling undertaken by Pan Australian and Anglo-Gold-Ashanti between the mid-1990s and 2012.

Verification of pXRF results for samples is currently in progress, from which Pioneer expects to receive results in August.

Email: pioneer@pioresources.com.au

Website: www.pioneerresources.com.au

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Rox Resources (ASX: RXL) has intersected further massive high-grade nickel sulphides near surface during Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling at the Musket prospect.

The Musket prospect is part of the company’s 100 per cent-owned Fisher East nickel project located 500 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

Rox explained the RC drilling is being undertaken to define and delineate additional near-surface nickel sulphide mineralisation as part of a resource estimation it currently has under way.

Musket prospect location. Source: Company announcement

“This additional RC drilling will add new tonnes to our overall project mineral resource, and will assist in the resource model planning for Musket,” Rox Resources managing director Ian Mulholland said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

Rox encountered massive high-grade nickel sulphides in both holes, which returned:

MFEC066
3m at 5.9 per cent nickel from 189m downhole, including 1m at 14.8 per cent nickel of massive sulphide from 190m downhole; and

MFEC067
17m at 2.1 per cent nickel from 161m downhole, including 1m at 8.9 per cent nickel of massive sulphide from 161m downhole.

“Intersecting significant grades of massive sulphides close to surface will undoubtedly boost the project economics,” Mulholland said.

Rox has more RC drilling planned to be carried out over the coming weeks at Musket as well as at Cannonball and Corktree.

There is also a program of aircore/Rotary Air Blast (RAB) drilling underway, which the company indicated was progressing well.

Rox said the results from both the RC and aircore/RAB drilling will be advised when available.

Email: admin@roxresources.com.au

Website: www.roxresources.com.au

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Bora Bora Resources (ASX: BBR) has claimed discovery of what it calls a ‘bullseye’ anomaly at the company’s Matale/Kurunegala graphite project north of Kandy in central Sri Lanka.

The anomaly was identified from a recently flown airborne Versatile Time-Domain Electromagnetic (VTEM) survey over the project.

Bora Bora has named the anomaly the Kingfisher prospect, which is situated approximately 10 kilometres north of the Kahatagaha and Queens graphite mines.

Location of Kingfisher anomaly relative to the Queens and Kahatagaha graphite mine anomalies. Source: Company announcement

BBR recently signed a Heads of Agreement in regards to the Queens mines with RS Mines (Pvt) Limited to acquire up to a 50 per cent interest.

Bora Bora has moved to secure land access over the Kingfisher anomaly area, which it said will allow it to commence ground exploration work including geophysics, geochemical sampling and drilling immediately.

“The VTEM has revealed a clear bullseye anomaly with a similar intensity and appearance to the anomalies associated with the nearby Queens and Kahatagaha graphite mines,” Bora Bora said in its ASX announcement.

“Mapping has uncovered a number of historical graphite pits coincident with the Kingfisher anomaly, and the company has entered into land access agreements over key conductive parts of the Kingfisher anomaly area and will commence further exploration immediately.”

Bora Bora explained it is currently commissioning a ground geophysical survey over the Kingfisher prospect and Queens graphite mine areas with the aim to delineate detailed information on individual graphite vein structures.

The company said it expects these results to optimise the planned drilling program, for which it is in the process of securing a drill rig to commence drilling as soon as possible at the Kingsfisher prospect, as well as at the Queens graphite mine where it is undertaking due diligence.

Website: www.boraboraresources.com.au

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Encounter Resources (ASX: ENR) announced results from ongoing drilling being carried out at the company’s Yeneena project in Western Australia.

Exploration is being conducted at the BM1 and BM7 prospects as part of an earn-agreement with global copper miner Antofagasta.

“The shallow RC drill program has exceeded our expectations with the near surface, high-grade copper zone expanded to the southeast and potentially providing a vector to primary copper mineralisation at BM1,” Encounter Resources managing director Will Robinson said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“This could be a significant step forward in the understanding of the copper mineralisation within the 14 kilometre long copper system discovered at BM1-BM7.”

BM1 drill hole location map with max copper in hole. Source: Company announcement

Encounter explained the first phase of holes in the aircore/RC program were completed within and outside areas of known copper oxide mineralisation at BM1 and BM7.

The program was extended to include a second phase of RC drilling at BM1 following the discovery of high-grade copper mineralisation south east of the previously interpreted boundary along the north east trending King Fault.

Results from the first phase of RC drilling within the area of previously defined mineralisation include:
(EPT 2060)
18 metres at 3.2 per cent copper from 32m, including 9m at 6 per cent copper from 37m;

(EPT 2061)
25m at 1.4 per cent copper from 31m, including 6m at 2.8 per cent copper from 47m; and

(EPT 2062)
34m at 1.1 per cent copper from 28m, including 8m at 2 per cent copper from 46m;

Results from the first phase of RC drilling outside the area of previously defined mineralisation include:

(EPT 2063)
45m at 1.4 per cent copper from 12m, including 16m at 3.2 per cent copper from 26m;

(EPT 2066)
47m at 1.0 per cent copper from 11m, including 15m at 1.5 per cent copper from 42m;

(EPT 2072)
50m at 1.1 per cent copper from 12m, including 19m at 2.3 per cent copper from 31m;

(EPT 2073)
40m at 0.9 per cent copper from 10m, including 11m at 2 per cent copper from 23m;

(EPT 2074)
13m at 0.6 per cent copper from 12m, including 2m at 2.5 per cent copper from 21m; and

(EPT 2075)
26m at 1.1 per cent copper from 0m, including 7m at 2 per cent copper from 2m.

Encounter has two drill rigs currently operating on site with aircore/ RC drilling progressing at BM9 and
BM10 and the diamond rig drilling at the northern part of BM7.

This activity is part of a $1.5 million exploration program of diamond, RC and aircore drilling that is to be carried out under the Antofagasta earn-in during the September 2014 quarter.

Website: www.enrl.com.au

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Rumble Resources (ASX: RTR) could hardly contain its excitement following the interpretation of a recently-completed detailed airborne aeromagnetic survey data on the Zanthus project Joint Venture with Blackham Resources (ASX: BLK).

Rumble said the interpretation has identified a number of high-priority targets including a distinctive ‘eye’ feature, which the company considers could be an intrusive body, co-incident with a conductive zone that was outlined by a reconnaissance ground EM program completed in April.

Rumble has interpreted the ‘eye’ feature as an elliptical magnetic rimmed intrusive body measuring some two kilometres in length and up to one kilometre wide.

Image showing the interpretation of the completed detailed airborne aeromagnetic survey. Source: Company announcement

Unsurprisingly, the company has compared it to the Nova Eye feature that was the catalyst to the recent success of fellow Fraser Range resident Sirius Resources (ASX: SIR).

Rumble’s ‘eye’ crossed with a single line of the orientation ground EM survey which indicated the presence of a bedrock conductor.

The company is currently planning a more detailed survey to cover the whole ‘eye’ feature with a more powerful moving loop survey similar to that recently completed by Sheffield Resources (ASX: SFX), which resulted in the identification of a large bedrock conductor at its Red Bull project.

“Rumble continues to systematically explore its Fraser Range tenements to provide its shareholders with the best chance of finding the next major nickel discovery,” Rumble Resources CEO Shane Sikora said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Our first two stages at the Zanthus project have identified seven potential conductors and numerous ‘eye’ features which have been central in discovering intrusive-hosted nickel deposits.

“To identify a conductive body within an eye feature of similar size to the Nova ‘eye’ is an exciting proposition.

“The world class Nova massive sulphide nickel copper discovery was found through drilling a bedrock conductor within an eye intrusive.”

Rumble outlined its next stage of ground based geophysics will be utilised to clearly define previously identified conductive bodies.

The company will also target other eye features and large intrusive bodies interpreted from the magnetics as it looks to identify further conductive bodies that may represent massive sulphides.

Email: enquiries@rumbleresources.com.au

Website: www.rumbleresources.com.au