Empire Resources (ASX:ERL) has intersected 22.38m of massive to disseminated pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-pyrite sulphides from 328.42m in diamond drillhole YDD22-04 and 11.33m of massive to disseminated pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-pyrite sulphides from 386.12m in diamond drillhole YDD22-05 at the Smiths Well prospect, at the Yuinmery Project in Western Australia.
Diamond hole YDD22-04 was designed to target the strong conductor modelled from downhole electromagnetic (DHEM) surveys completed in March 2022.
The sulphide intercept is interpreted to be a down plunge extension to the Smiths Well mineralisation, where 30.1m @ 0.60% Cu, 0.17% Ni & 0.034% Co was recently intersected in drillhole YDD22-02.
“Smiths Well continues to impress with further wide intercepts of massive and disseminated sulphides within the modelled DHEM conductor. Assay results have also identified a new copper-gold horizon below the highly conductive copper-nickel-cobalt horizon,” Managing Director, Sean Richardson, said.
“The diamond drilling programme continues at Smiths Well with hole YDD22-07 testing the down dip extents to copper mineralisation at the YT01 prospect. The company looks forward to updating the market as results from the drilling becomes available.”
The massive to disseminated intercepts lie within an interpreted mafic sequence comprising coarse grained gabbroic rocks with very coarse grained (glomeroporphyritic) domains and horizons dominated by ferromagnesium minerals and dolerite. Basalt occurs in the footwall of the mineralisation. The highly conductive copper-nickel-cobalt horizon is interpreted to occur in the mafic sequence proximal to the basalt contact.
YDD22-03 Assay Results
Assay results for YDD22-03 drilled at Smiths Well during the March 2022 quarter have been received from Empire’s preferred commercial laboratory. YDD22-03 intercepted three zones of mineralisation.
Assay results include:
1.25m @ 0.20% Cu, 0.21% Ni & 0.041% Co from 215.35m 10m @ 0.65% Cu & 0.10g/t Au from 253m; including 0.7m @ 1.26% Cu & 0.20g/t Au from 255.3m and 0.9m @ 1.13% Cu & 0.15g/t Au from 258.7m 2m @ 0.80% Cu & 0.17g/t Au from 313m; including 1m @ 1.19% Cu & 0.23g/t Au from 314m.
The upper copper-nickel-cobalt horizon intercepted at 215.35m is associated with semi- massive sulphide, primarily fine pyrrhotite with lesser pyrite and chalcopyrite similar to the highly conductive copper-nickel-cobalt zone. While this interval has copper-nickel-cobalt chemistries similar to the highly conductive zone the relationship between the two is unclear at present.
The strongly mineralised 10m @ 0.65% Cu & 0.10g/t Au from 253m is considered to be a separate copper-gold horizon located below the highly conductive copper-nickel- cobalt horizon. The intersection occurs within a broader 18m wide zone of copper anomalism. Chalcopyrite is the main sulphide mineral present, occurring as net textured and disseminations in quartz-carbonate-sericite-pyrite veins hosted in Gabbro.
The third mineralised zone from 313m is associated with fine crackle brecciation with silica- carbonate matrix, silicification and aggregates of fine magnetite in a ferromagnesium section of the gabbro. Chalcopyrite is the main sulphide mineral and predominately occurs within the mafic clasts as disseminations or net textured. Mineralisation is likely the result of brittle deformation in the less ductile lithologies.
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