St George ready to move on priority targets

THE DRILL SERGEANT: St George Mining (ASX: SGQ) has prioritised six nickel targets at the company’s East Laverton property in the NE Goldfields of Western Australia.

St George Mining recently reclaimed 100 per cent ownership of all nickel prospects at the East Laverton property after BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) pulled out of the Project Dragon Joint Venture.

The company considers the identification of the six priority targets to be the launch of a new nickel exploration program over the best nickel prospects across the entire property.

“Our technical team has reviewed the nickel targets across the entire East Laverton property and selected six priority prospects,” St George Mining executive chairman John Prineas said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.     

“Our exploration is now unconstrained by third party interests and we can expedite the exploration work to test the best targets.

“This is the first time we have been able to execute a nickel exploration program on a property‐wide scale and we are very excited at these new opportunities.”

St George explained its next phase of exploration at these targets will involve ground electro‐magnetic (EM) surveys, which it expects will identify any conductors that may represent  massive nickel sulphides at depth.

These would then be tested by drilling.

Previous work has already identified EM anomalies at Cambridge and St George anticipates the implementation of new, more powerful EM technology will further validate these conductors, and better define the drill sites to test for massive sulphide bodies.

The company also has a fixed loop EM (FLEM) survey planned for specifically selected areas of the Cambridge dunite body.

 

The priority nickel targets are shown over aeromagnetics (TMI) at the East Laverton property. Source: Company announcement

 

The six priority targets identified are:

Cambridge:  A large lenticular dunite body located on the Stella Range Ultramafic Belt. Drilling at Cambridge in 2012 identified minor amounts of nickel sulphides associated with PGE (Platinum Group Elements.

Desert Dragon North: An area on the Stella Range Ultramafic Belt immediately south of Cambridge, situated on a NE‐SW lineament called the Churchill lineament, which St George believes may be a control on mineralisation.

Desert Dragon ‐ Windsor: Covers over 10 strike kilometres of ultramafic along the Stella Range Belt. Drilling in 2012 identified disseminated nickel sulphides in two holes, returning 6 metres at 0.48 per cent nickel, and 4m at 0.57 per cent nickel.

Bristol: Presents as a large and strong TMI (Total Magnetic Intensity) response on the Central Ultramafic Belt with an extensive strike over 7 strike kilometres of moderate to high manganese oxide ultramafics.

Drilling in 2012 identified minor amounts of nickel sulphides and anomalous levels of PGE.

Athena: Located along the north of the major regional Minigwal Belt and on the Churchill lineament and displays a strong TMI (Total Magnetic Intensity) response.

Cambridge North:  Interpreted from the strong Total Magnetic Intensity (TMI) response as a thick ultramafic zone covering over 3 strike kilometres on the northern extension of the Stella Range Belt. No drilling has been completed at this time.

The northern part of Cambridge as well as Desert Dragon North, Bristol, Athena and parts of the Desert Dragon‐Windsor prospect were previously within the Project Dragon JV with BHP.

All these targets are now owned 100 per cent by St George.

Disclaimer: The Roadhouse holds St George Mining shares