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.
Sandfire puts spring in Springfield exploration activities
Talisman Mining (ASX: TLM) announced that Sandfire Resources (ASX: SFR) has commenced the first phase of ground-based exploration activities at the Springfield project as part of a $15 million exploration farm-in Joint Venture covering Talisman’s interests in the Springfield, Halloween and Halloween West JV projects.
Sandfire has already identified a combined 65 kilometres strike length of prospective Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) horizon across the combined Talisman and Sandfire tenements, providing an expanded search horizon for potential new VMS copper-gold deposits.
At least six Reverse Circulation drill-holes previously drilled by Talisman at the Homer prospect have been identified by Sandfire for the application of high energy DHEM to test for the presence of conductors that may represent accumulations of massive sulphides.
In addition, Sandfire is undertaking a high-powered Fixed-loop Electro Magnetic survey (FLEM) at the Homer prospect, covering approximately 1.6km of the prospective DeGrussa host horizon, to better test for conductors beyond the extent of previous ground electromagnetic surveys.
Diamond drilling commenced at Forsayth project
Altius Mining (ASX: AYM) has commenced a 5,000 metre diamond drilling program at the company’s 100 per cent-owned Forsayth project in North Queensland.
This drilling program is designed to test a number of drill targets that have resulted from an extensive geological survey conducted by Shandong Province Geology and Mineral Exploration and
Development Bureau.
This is the first stage of a drill program that is designed to test previously un-drilled targets and also to drill the known Ropewalk mineralisation in order to create a JORC compliant resource for this area.
RC drilling commences in the Pig & Whistle
Octagonal Resources (ASX: ORS) has commenced RC drilling in the Pig & Whistle area of the Pearl Croydon deposit in Central Victoria.
The Pearl Croydon deposit is located 40 kilometres southwest of the company’s porcupine Flat gold processing facility at Maldon and contains an Inferred Resource of 570,000 tonnes at 2.9 grams per tonne gold for 53,000 ounces of gold.
The drilling program will consist of 14 holes and has been designed to test for near surface gold in an area that is already approved for open pit mining and where previous drilling has intersected 10m at 5.5g/t gold from 30m, and 3m at 5.9g/t gold from 74m.
Drilling to commence at Plumridge nickel project
Segue Resources (ASX: SEG) has completed a review of existing aeromagnetic and gravity data combined with recently released GSWA 2014/6 multi-disciplinary research report over the company’s recently acquired tenement (E39/1731), located in the Fraser Range region of Western Australia.
Segue said the work has identified a large anomalous magnetic feature which warrants immediate on-ground exploration.
Segue believes the feature (E21) has all of the hallmarks of a very large mafic/ultramafic intrusive body, similar to the Eye, which hosts the Nova-Bollinger nickel deposit – but several orders of magnitude larger.
The company said combined AirCore drilling and ground EM will increase its geological knowledge of E21 and identify target areas for more focussed and intense exploration.
Drilling commences at Cinovec project
European Metals Holdings (ASX: EMH) has commenced drilling at the company’s Cinovec project in Czech Republic.
The program will comprise three core holes to a maximum depth of 380m, targeting the main Cinovec South ore zone to provide samples for metallurgical testing.
Recovered core will then be used to confirm the previously recorded metals recoveries and high concentrate grades that have been documented by the previous operations.
The Cinovec project hosts a JORC 2012-compliant Inferred Resource of 28.1 million tonnes at 0.37 per cent tin and 0.04 per cent tungsten for total contained tin of 103,970 tonnes based on 83,000m of drilling and 21.5 kilometres of underground drives.
Additionally there is an Inferred Resource for lithium of 36.8Mt at 0.8 per cent lithium.
Parts of the Cinovec deposit were mined historically, however, EMH said it remains one of the largest hard rock tin projects in the world.