Continues To Hit High-Grade Copper And Nickel In Maiden Drill Programme
Auroch Minerals Limited (ASX:AOU) has reported further promising assay results from the maiden diamond drill programme at the Horn Prospectof its Leinster Nickel Project in Western Australia.
Managing Director, Aidan Platel, said the assays for diamond drill-hole HNDD002 have confirmed thick shallow high-grade nickel-copper- PGE sulphide mineralisation, with the logged massive sulphides interval reporting 7.3m @ 2.20% Ni, 0.53% Cu and 0.64 g/t Pd from a down-hole depth of 143m.
HNDD002 intersected the massive nickel sulphide mineralisation 15m further north along strike from a historic intercept of 14.66m @ 2.19% Ni & 0.48% Cu, thus extending the mineralisation where previously it was thought to have pinched out.
Results for drill hole HNDD003 also returned a significant intercept of 1.5m @ 1.48% Ni, 0.39% Cu and 0.29g/t Pd, from a down-hole depth of 134.9m, which included a 0.8m zone of massive sulphides which reported 2.41% Ni, 0.47% Cu and 0.46g/t Pd from 134.9m. Hole HNDD003 was drilled to test a historic DHEM conductor outside of the known mineralisation, highlighting the effectiveness of DHEM in this system.
These results follow the excellent results from the first diamond drill-hole HNDD001, where the logged massive sulphides interval reporting 4.09m @ 2.40% Ni, 0.61% Cu, 0.55 g/t Pd & 0.22 g/t Pt from 119.91m within the larger mineralised interval of 5.09m @ 2.06% Ni, 0.60% Cu, 0.49 g/t Pd & 0.25 g/t Pt from 119.91m.
DHEM surveys have been completed for all holes at the Horn and the geophysical data is currently being processed and modelled. The results of the DHEM and the detailed geological logging will be used to plan the next stages of exploration at the Horn and surrounding prospects at Leinster.
“The excellent results from the second and third holes at the Horn have once again highlighted the shallow high-grade nature of the nickel-copper-PGE massive sulphide mineralisation at the Horn,” Mr Platel said.
“The continuity and homogeneity of the high-grade mineralisation over 500m of strike and at such shallow depths is impressive, and we look forward to the information our geological logging and DHEM surveys will provide in order to plan the next drilling phase at the Horn.”
Meanwhile, all permitting has been completed for the company’s maiden drilling programme at the iconic high- grade Nepean Nickel Project. A 3,000m reverse circulation (RC) drill programme has been planned and a drill rig is locked in to commence in early January. The 6,000m air-core (AC) drill programme has been completed across the Saints and Leinster Nickel Projects. The logs and assays from these holes will provide valuable information for the Company’s geological models and will be used to plan follow-up RC drill programmes for early next quarter.
