ASX listed Aldoro Resources has hit paydirt with its maiden drill hole at its flagship Narndee Igneous Complex project in WA. The company intersected massive sulphides at its VC1 geophysical target which is prospective for nickel/copper/PGE mineralisation. The successful drill hole is also the first hole drilled in the area in nearly a decade and brought to light a significant 1.7m zone of massive to semi-massive nickel copper sulphides.
The company says drilling at VC1 will continue to define and extend the mineralisation and a second diamond drill rig may be secured to drill test additional targets in the project area. Additionally, an RC rig may be secured to complete pre-collars at VC1 and expedite drill progress. A handheld XRF machine was used to confirm the presence of nickel, copper, and cobalt. Assay results will be reported as soon as they are received a management says such early promising results justify its exploration strategy.
The Narndee Igneous Complex is a large layered mafic-ultramafic complex covering approximately 700sq.km. Historic exploration has generally focused on platinum group mineralisation using a South African Bushveld model, however historic drill results have found good indications of Ni-Cu sulphide mineralisation.
Drill hole NDD0001 was designed to test the central strongest part of the VC1 electromagnetic -EM- conductor which was expected to be intersected between 175m and 190m downhole. Although a zone of veined and blebby nickel-copper sulphides was intersected from 195.9m downhole, deeper than anticipated, the main zone of semi-massive and massive sulphide was intersected much deeper at approximately 213m downhole.
Aldoro says this indicates there is more complexity to the mineralisation than the surface geophysics could resolve. The resolution should be significantly improved by a downhole EM survey program scheduled for early next week, however. Follow-up drilling will now be primarily driven by the data received from downhole EM surveying.
Iron, nickel, copper sulphide phases observed in the drill core include pyrrhotite, pyrite, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite and the company believes this mineral complexity may indicate an increased potential for numerous mineralised bodies within the multiple discrete ultramafic intrusions that exist in the VC1 target area. However, Aldoro has flagged that follow up petrographic and geochemical analyses are required to confirm the species, geological setting, and relative abundance.
The next hole in the program, NDD0002, will be collared approximately 85m south-southwest of the first hole, targeting a shallower up plunge position of the VC1 target, with downhole EM set to be conducted on NDD0001 while the rig is drilling NDD0002. Aldoro then plans to drill targets generated by the downhole EM survey at the first hole.
Other high priority exploration targets in the Narndee Igneous Complex project will be drilled using a second rig as the company ramps up the exploration in the area based on these positive visual results.
Multi-element explorer Aldoro has a solid portfolio of gold and nickel focused advanced exploration projects, all located in Western Australia. The company’s other nickel-copper-PGE projects include the Cathedrals Belt nickel project, with a significant tenement holding surrounding St George Mining’s Mt Alexander Project.
The company is also set to develop its Leinster nickel project and the Windimurra Igneous Complex which is also prospective for nickel-copper, platinum group elements and also wonder element, lithium.
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By Matt Birney
