Sirius Resources identifies more Nova nickel
THE DRILL SERGEANT: Sirius Resources (ASX: SIR) has completed infill resource drilling at Nova around the margins of the deposit, from which the company claims to have encountered better than expected mineralisation, including an eastern extension it considers may be a mineralised feeder zone.
The company said further drilling will now focus on exploring this and additional targets within the Eye, while its maiden JORC mineral resource estimate remains on schedule for the end of March.
New intersections of note include the following (all estimated to be true width):
– 26.82 metres at 6.01 per cent nickel and 2.1 per cent copper from 396.83 metres, towards the eastern edge of the deposit;
– 14.27m at 6.58 per cent nickel and 2.84 per cent copper from 383.8m, on the northern edge of the deposit;
– 35.23m at 2.43 per cent nickel and 0.99 per cent copper from 299.23m, on the western edge of the deposit;
– 8.93m at 2.27 per cent nickel and 1.12 per cent copper from 409.24m, on the south-eastern edge of the deposit and
– 46.63m at 2.57 per cent nickel and 0.95 per cent copper from 316.58m, including 13.83m at 6.14 per cent nickel and 2.58 per cent copper from 334.01m, internal to the deposit.
Sirius indicated extensional drilling at the extreme south-western tip of the deposit on the 475N line (to the south of the discovery line) also encountered better than expected mineralisation relatively close to surface.
This mineralisation is not yet closed off and the company has interpreted it may extend further upwards towards the surface.
Plan projection of Nova, showing location of new infill drill holes
(with assayed intersections) and additional drill intersections around
the edges of the deposit. Source: Company announcement
Extensional drilling at the eastern edge, and deepest point, of the deposit also intersected more mineralisation than expected, in the form of a sulphide breccia zone, extending the known mineralisation more than 60m to the southeast on a 100m wide front from the previous boundary.
Siruis said the Nova resource infill program had improved its understanding of the geology.
The company is set to recommence exploration drilling on various targets within the Eye.
“I am proud of our team for executing the drillout like clockwork – in record time and without incident,” Sirius Resources managing director Mark Bennett said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.
“With the completion of this and the development of a solid geological model we now know Nova is an exceptional, robust deposit and we can now use what we’ve learned to start the hunt for more.
“The discovery of the eastern breccia zone further demonstrates the potential scale of this system and bodes well for the discovery of more nickel mineralisation adjacent to Nova, in the Eye and beyond.”