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 underway at Thunderbird
Sheffield Resources (ASX: SFX) has commenced drilling at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Thunderbird mineral sands project.
Thunderbird has total mineral resources of 2.62 billion tonnes at 6.5 per cent heavy minerals (HM) (Measured, Indicated and Inferred) for 170 million tonnes of contained HM, including a high-grade component of 740 million tonnes at 12.1 per cent HM.
The 2014 drilling program at Thunderbird will target extensions to shallow high-grade mineralisation open up-dip, with the aim of expanding the current resource and improving the project’s economics.
Infill drilling will target areas of the resource which are currently classified as Inferred and were excluded from consideration for the current Scoping Study pit optimisation.
Sheffield said positive results from this drilling could enable a resource upgrade and potentially enhance the project’s economics and mine life.
“With the commencement of our field programs as planned, we are on-track to deliver the Thunderbird Pre-feasibility Study in Q1 2015, followed by the Definitive Feasibility Study for targeted initial production in 2017,” Sheffield Resources managing director Bruce McQuitty said.
Kendenup nickel target
Windward Resources (ASX: WIN) has received approval from the Western Australian Department for Mines and Petroleum for diamond drill testing of the company’s Kendenup nickel target, located near Mount Barker, in the Fraser Range South (FRS) project area.
To accommodate existing landholder activities this drilling is planned to commence in late August.
The Kendenup prospect was identified as a high-priority target from a HeliTEM survey flown over the area.
Follow-up soil geochemistry, over the discrete late-channel EM conductor, produced a coherent 20-times background nickel anomaly.
Two initial drillholes will be completed to test the target zone with a third contingent on results from the first two.
Drilling results are expected by mid-September.
BCL allocates third drill rig to Maibele North nickel project
Joint Venture partners BCL Limited and Botswana Metals (ASX: BML) announced that BCL has allocated a third drill rig to the Maibele North nickel project fast tracking the current 30 holes drill program for a total 6000 metres.
“The additional RC drill rig demonstrates BCL commitment to the Maibele North project and to the Joint Venture,” Botswana Metals chairman Patrick Volpe said
“There are now three drill rigs on site. The RC rig will be used for pre collaring aimed at fast tracking the drill program.
“The Joint Venture partners are very encouraged with the sulphide mineralisation that has been encountered in the twin and step out holes so far.
“We are waiting for the independent laboratory analysis, testing essentially for Nickel, Copper and PGEs in respect to grade and metres intersected by the drilling.
“Metallurgical testing of some of these cores will indicate recovery levels for nickel and copper, and determine if the Maibele ore is compatible for processing at the BCL plant at Selebi Phikwe.”
BML said the objective of the program is to complete twin, infill and step out drilling and to determine a JORC complicate resource within 6 months.
If the Maibele North project proves to be economic, BCL can toll treat the ore just 55km away at its processing facilities at Selebi Phikwe and has the right to negotiate an off-take agreement for BML’s share at commercial prices.
Drilling underway at Pevkos
BMG Resources (ASX: BMG) has advised that drilling has commenced at the Pevkos prospect at the company’s Black Pine project in Cyprus.
More than 20 holes have been planned for over 2,000 metres of drilling at the Pevkos prospect and the Mala prospect at the Vrechia project.
BMG said it would provide further updates as the drilling progresses.