Jaguar Resource Growth Potential Unveiled
Centaurus Metals (ASX:CTM) is pleased to advise that resource growth drilling at its 100%-owned Jaguar Nickel Sulphide Project in the Carajás Mineral Province of northern Brazil has delivered further thick high-grade semi-massive and massive nickel sulphide intercepts below the deepest drilling at the high-grade Onça Preta Deposit.
The company says the results demonstrate a strong potential for further Resource growth at the Jaguar Project.
Recent drill hole JAG-21-DD-190, the deepest hole drilled to-date at Onça Preta by Centaurus, has intersected more than 30m of stringer to semi-massive and massive nickel sulphide mineralisation within a broader mineralised zone of almost 50m.
The intersection is at a similar depth below surface to historical drill hole JAGU-DH00014, located 50m to the east, which returned 18.0m at 2.19% Ni from 318m and 7.9m at 2.18% Ni from 351m, demonstrating the continuity of mineralisation along strike.
Further, Down-Hole Electromagnetic (DHEM) survey work at the Onca Preta Deposit has also identified multiple strong late-time (Ch20+) conductor plates. These sub-vertical plates extend down to 200m below the deepest drilling and have a combined strike extent of over 300m with very high conductivities of 2500-12000S.
At the Jaguar Project, conductor plates with these conductivity levels consistently host semi-massive and massive sulphides.
The conductor plates indicate that the high-grade mineralisation in these sections at Onca Preta continue at depth. Deeper drilling is already planned to test the potential extensions as quickly as possible.
Managing Director, Darren Gordon, said the company’s exploration team was excited to be back drilling at Onça Preta.
“Onça Preta is an exceptional orebody which has consistently returned outstanding high-grade intersections from both near-surface and at depth,” he said.
“The deepest hole before this current round of drilling intersected 18.0m at 2.19% Ni and 7.9m at 2.18% Ni from below 300m depth.
“I’m happy to say that the first visual results from the current round of drilling at Onca Preta are quite outstanding, with the company’s deepest drill hole to date intersecting over 30m of semi-massive and massive nickel sulphides and the new DHEM probe identifying new conductor plates that extend 200m below the deepest drilling.
“We are excited by the opportunity to drill deeper at Onça Preta to test for further semi-massive to massive nickel sulphide mineralisation and extend the Mineral Resource.
“If we are able to grow the Onça Preta Resource at depth, this should translate directly into further underground mineralisation being delivered to the underground stopes for the DFS mine plan.”
Following the semi-massive and massive sulphides encountered in JAG-DD-21-190, a +12m wide zone of stringer and semi-massive nickel sulphides was also intersected in drill hole JAG-DD-21-201 on section 476940mE, within a broader mineralised zone.
This is also considered very encouraging as it demonstrates that the high-grade nickel mineralisation is open to the east and indicates that mineralisation is plunging north-northeast below historical drilling. Previously, the deepest hole on section 476940mE intersected 3.4m at 0.72% Ni from 156.8m in JAGU-DH000133. Importantly, the visual estimates of sulphide mineralisation seen in JAG-DD-21-201, which is located 50m down-dip from JAGU-DH000133, are significantly thicker and expected to be of a higher nickel grade.
When this new intersection is considered with the presence of the highly conductive DHEM plate, it suggests that there is likely to be more semi-massive mineralisation at depth. Drilling is already planned to continue to test this strike and plunge extension.
For further information please visit: https://www.centaurus.com.au
