Drilling Continues To Add To Ta Khoa Project
Blackstone Minerals (ASX:BSX) has extended the strike of the Ban Chang prospect in Vietnam by more than 1km.
The “step out” reconnaissance style drilling intersected high-grade mineralisation: 9.8m @ 1.45% Ni, 0.9% Cu, 0.08% Co 0.70g/t PGE from 57.05m incl. 5.7m @ 2.07% Ni, 1.08% Cu, 0.12% Co & 0.95/t PGEfrom 60.0m incl. 1.85 @ 3.59% Ni, 1.18% Cu, 0.20% Co & 1.97g/t PGEfrom 63.35m; and
5.2m @ 0.66% Ni, 0.73% Cu, 0.04% Co & 0.79g/t PGE from 58.0m Incl. 1.5m @ 2.20% Ni, 2.12% Cu, 0.13% Co & 2.66g/t PGEfrom 58.5m incl. 1.05m @ 2.98% Ni, 1.22% Cu, 0.18% Co & 3.43g/t PGEfrom 58.5m
Blackstone Minerals’ Managing Director Scott Williamson said the four maiden drill holes at Ban Chang have all intersected massive sulfide nickel over a 1.2km strikewithin a 1.2km long massive sulfide target zone defined by high priority electromagnetic (EM) plates
The company continues to test high priority EM targets generated from 25 MSV prospectsin the Ta Khoa nickel sulfide district to supplement a potential bulk open pit mining scenario at Ban Phuc and the King Cobra discovery zone (KCZ).
“Our latest assays confirmed a new zone of high grade mineralisation which was previously untested,” Mr Williamson said.
“We have demonstrated strong potential for a bulk underground mining scenario at Ban Chang which could be significantly larger scale than the previously mined Ban Phuc massive sulfide underground mine. At Ban Phuc, the previous owners successfully mined a narrow massive sulfide vein at much lower nickel prices than today. With bulk underground mining and the potential for significant PGE credits, we could be looking at a very economic mining scenario at Ban Chang.
“We have now drilled significant massive sulfide nickel mineralisation over 1km of strike at Ban Chang and our in-house geophysics crew continues to test for further massive sulfide mineralisation.
“Ban Chang is the first of 25 MSV targets to be tested throughout the Ta Khoa Ni- Cu-PGE district, leaving plenty of upside for adding high-grade feed to a bulk open pit mining scenario at Ban Phuc.”
