THE DRILL SERGEANT: Drilling of extensions to Lens Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, by MacPhersons Resources (ASX:MRP) at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Nimbus silver-zinc-gold project has demonstrated both silver oxide and silver sulphide mineralisation continues between the Nimbus Discovery and East Pits.

The Nimbus project is located 10 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie’s Super Pit gold mine.

Preliminary results from the latest drilling carried out at Nimbus have returned the longest high-grade intersection drilled to date at the project:
 
–    28 metres at 900 grams per tonne silver from 200m depth, including 17 metres at 1434 grams per tonne silver, 26.3 per cent zinc and 4.7 per cent lead from 205 metres.

These results included eight metre-intervals exceeding 1500 grams per tonne silver.

Recent Drillholes on section NX80 showing the 80m down dip
extension of the silver-zinc zone in Lens Nos. 3. Source: Company
announcement

MacPhersons explained that super high-grade mineralisation is defined as zones exceeding 15,000gram-metres of silver grade, which it said occurs in Lens No. 1 at Nimbus.

Zones of 12,000 to 14,000gram-metres occur in Lens No. 2.
 
The recent intersection of 28m at 900g/t silver (25,208 gram-metres silver) is the first super high grade intersection outside of Lens No. 1 and shows that Lens No.3 has significant upside to further high grade lens extensions.

The drilling indicates an 80m down dip extension to the New Lens No. 3.

“The new high grade extension to Lens No. 3, is a step change in mineralisation intensity,” MacPhersons Resources managing director Morrie Goodz said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“MRP see the continuing intersections between the Discovery and East Pits as supporting the model of a single merged super pit.”

The company outlined relevance of the new super high grade silver-zinc mineralisation in a second lens supports modelling of multiple lens targets existing at Nimbus.

This is first lens of this intensity of metal grade distribution, since the Discovery Lens No.1 was identified in 1990’s.

Ongoing drilling and geological modelling is establishing further zones that may host additional massive and breccia sulphide mineralisation.

The company said it was encouraged by the progressive results that continue to show the silver mineralisation extends between and beneath both pits.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Sheffield Resources (ASX:SFX) has announced further encouraging drill results from the company’s Dampier heavy mineral sand (HMS) project near Derby in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia.

The Thunderbird discovery is the first target to be drilled by Sheffield within the Dampier HMS project area.

The company said the drill results it has achieved to date underpin the discovery, in terms of both the grade and scale of mineralisation.

Thunderbird prospect drill collar plan. Source: Company announcement

The latest results come from 47 holes  and have returned high-grade mineralised intervals of up to 42 metres in width.

Highlights of the drilling include:

–     32.1 metres at 10.1 per cent heavy minerals (HM) from 9 metres, including 28.5 metres at 10.9 per cent HM from 10.5 metres;
 
–    40.5m at 7.8 per cent HM from 3m, including 18m at 13.4 per cent HM from 4.5m;

–    41.5m at 7.3 per cent HM from 9m, including 32.5m at 8.6 per cent HM from 18m;

–    42m at 6.3 per cent HM from 21m, including 31.5m at 7.6 per cent HM from 24m;

–    27m at 8.6 per cent HM from surface, including 22.5m at 9.8 per cent HM from 1.5m;

–    30m at 6.9 per cent HM from surface, including 18m at 9.2 per cent HM from surface;

–    33m at 7.1 per cent HM from surface, including 15m at 12.1 per cent HM from surface;

–    31m at 7.4 per cent HM from 4.5m, including 19.5m at 10.1 per cent HM from 9m;

–    26m at 9.6 per cent HM from 15m, including 24.5m at 10.1 per cent HM from 16.5m; and

–    17m at 12.2 per cent HM from 22.5m.

“These results have exceeded our expectations, increasing both the grade and scale of the Thunderbird discovery,” Sheffield Resources managing director Bruce McQuitty said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“There are a very few mineral sands projects worldwide with similar grades, however none that we are aware of that can boast the widths we are outlining at Thunderbird, with the added advantage of such low overburden.

“This is a very thick, very high grade and very exciting find.”

Sheffield said these results extend the thick, high-grade mineralised intervals it initially reported at the prospect earlier this month.

It said they also outline an internal high-grade zone (at 5 per cent HM cut-off) up to 32.5m thick (average 15m), with grades averaging 9.0 per cent HM.

The high-grade zone has so far been outlined over an area of 12 square kilometres and remains open in all directions.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Syndicated Metals (ASX:SMD) has intersected several zones of high-grade copper, within broader widths of disseminated copper-gold sulphide mineralisation, over a 2.5 kilometre strike length with its maiden drilling program at the company’s Yamamilla copper-gold project in North Queensland.

The Yamamilla project is located within the northern part of Syndicated’s Mount Isa project, and is situated on an exploration permit that forms part of the Mt Isa other metals Joint Venture with Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL).

VTEM anomalism over the Yamamilla-Portal Creek-Prospector 3 Trend. Source: Company announcement

Syndicated is earning 80 per cent ownership of the Joint Venture and minerals other than uranium by spending $800,000 over three years.

Syndicated has so far completed five Reverse Circulation (RC) drill holes at the Yamamilla project, four of which have intersected mineralisation.

The fifth hole failed to reach target due to difficult drilling conditions.

Three of the four holes intersected significant high-grade copper mineralisation within broader zones of disseminated copper-gold mineralisation.

Gold assays are awaited for all of the holes.

Yamamilla prospect results include:

–    7 metres at 2.37 per cent copper, including 4 metres at 3.94 per cent copper from 48 metres; and

–    13m at 0.26 per cent copper from 193m.

Syndicated explained the mineralised intersections to consist of stringer copper sulphides (chalcopyrite) with lesser amounts of disseminated copper sulphides.

It highlighted this point to be of some significance saying it appeared a direct relationship exists between the high-grade mineralised intervals and the soil geochemistry and VTEM plates.

Syndicated has also drilled four holes at the Floodbird prospect, which returned intersections demonstrating an identified VTEM anomaly is caused by copper-gold sulphide mineralisation at the contact of the Argylla-Corella formation.

Results from drilling at the Floodbird prospect include:

–    11m at 1.17 per cent copper, including 2m at 2.54 per cent copper from 193 metres; and

–     7m at 0.81 per cent copper, including 2m at 1.5 per cent copper from 39m.

The company said it considered the results of this maiden drilling at the Yamamilla and Floodbird prospects to be very encouraging and that they enhance the potential of the area to host a significant high-grade copper deposit.

“These are terrific results from our initial drilling at Yamamilla, indicating the presence of a potentially significant mineralised system extending over a strike length of at least 2.5 kilometres,” Syndicated Metals managing director Andrew Munckton said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“This has confirmed that Yamamilla represents a priority project within our North Queensland portfolio for follow-up exploration.”

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Potash West (ASX:PWN) has received initial assay results from resource definition drilling completed in June at the Dinner Hill prospect within the company’s Dandaragan Trough potash project.

According to Potash West the drilling has defined continuity of well-preserved Molecap Greensand at an average thickness of nine metres, thickening to a maximum of 14m to the south and to a minimum of 4m to the north.

Drilling highlights include:

–    12 metres at 4.63 per cent potassium oxide from 19 metres, including 6 metres at 5.29 per cent from 24 metres;

–    13m at 4.51 per cent potassium oxide from 21m, including 7m at 5.40 per cent from 26m;

–    10m at 4.55 per cent potassium oxide from 22m, including 7m at 5.21 per cent from 24m; and

–    7m at 3.20 per cent potassium oxide from 5m.

Mineralisation remains open to the north and south as well as to the east.

The company has identified Molecap Greensand is its primary target at Dinner Hill because of the prospect’s higher contained potassium oxide grades.

Dandaragan Trough potash project – Dinner Hill drill collar plan. Source: Company announcement

Potash West described it as being commonly overlain by a considerable thickness of lower grade, variably oxidised, Poison Hill Greensand.

This material has yet to be metallurgical tested but the company said it is confident this lower-grade material can be successfully recovered.

“The results are confirmation that the greensand is widespread, high-grade and continuous in this area,” Potash West managing director Patrick McManus said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Also apparent is a significant P2O5 (phosphorus pentoxide) content.

The K-Max process® we have developed, will also produce a phosphate product, significantly enhancing project economics.

“We expect a maiden JORC Resource Statement, for this area, to be completed by early October.

“This resource will underpin a scoping study to be completed this year.

“The fact that the mineralisation continues, and thickens, to the south indicates that the resource can be increased by further drilling.”

Potash West indicated it would investigate the southern extensions to Dinner Hill to confirm the thickening of the high-grade greensand beds and continuity over significant strike extensions.

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Pegasus Metals (ASX:PUN) has intersected high-grade copper with zinc and silver in massive sulphides during an initial drilling program being conducted at the South Limb Pod deposit at the company’s Mt Mulcahy project in Western Australia.

Pegasus said the results confirm Mt Mulcahy hosts high-grade copper-rich polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide (“VMS”) mineralisation.

The company has completed diamond drilling in for holes to date, one of which intersected its target horizon north of the mineralised shoot and returned anomalous base metal mineralisation in sediments.

Another intersected massive sulphides containing abundant chalcopyrite and sphalerite over 7 metres from 30 metres to 37 metres down hole.

Pegasus said it had received assays from an intersection of 4.3m true thickness from 31.4m to 35.7m down hole averaging 4.48 per cent copper, 2.88 per cent zinc and 38.1 grams per tonne silver.

Gold assays from this interval are awaited.

Diamond drilling conducted by private company Black Raven Mining also returned encouraging results, including an intersection of 6.80m true thickness of massive sulphide from 112.20m at 4.86 per cent copper and 3.67 per cent zinc in the South Limb Pod.

Mt Mulcahy project – South Limb Pod. Source: Company announcement

Pegasus recently acquired a 100 per cent interest in the tenements located north of Cue in the Murchison Region from Black Raven Mining, subject to shareholder approval.

“This outstanding first round of assays confirms the high-grade VMS nature of Mt Mulcahy and in particular South Limb Pod,” Pegasus Metals managing director Michael Fotios said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“The combination of the high grade, the shallow nature of the mineralisation and the fact that it remains open along strike and at depth highlights the significant potential of South Limb Pod.

“Despite some highly promising results, exploration in this area has been extremely limited.

“Drilling is ongoing to delineate the extent of this mineralisation, with a steady flow of assay results expected over coming months.”

The company said its ongoing diamond drilling program will focus on delineating the SLP massive sulphide lens along strike and down plunge.

Further testing of selected EM targets will also be undertaken.

Pegasus is currently undertaking a review of all historical drilling completed to date to determine how much of this can be used to complete a JORC-compliant resource estimate once the current program is completed.

The company said a good deal of the historic drill holes appear to have suffered RC/core recovery issues or were insufficiently assayed and may need to be redrilled.