ASX-listed junior explorer Aldoro Resources has nailed its nickel targets delivering improved intercepts from the latest drilling at its Narndee project, 90 kilometres southwest of Mt Magnet in Western Australia.
Significant results include a 4.26 metre hit grading 1.22 per cent nickel, 0.53 per cent copper and 0.08 per cent cobalt from 277.14m downhole. Another hole, just a step west was sunk at a shallower angle and caught a 7.86m length running 0.53 per cent nickel, 0.51 per cent copper and 0.03 per cent cobalt from 269.5m downhole.
Importantly, the intercepts represent a marked improvement in width over the previously encountered single metre strike grading 1.35 per cent nickel from 192m downhole.
Notably, the Narndee project is located in a region dominated by greenstone rocks from the ancient Archean Eon dating back to between 4 billion and 2.5 billion years ago, not long after the formation of the Earth. It is thought that ultramafic magma - high in magnesium and iron – intruded through the ancient rocks and pooled on top creating the layered cake-like structure known today as the Narndee Igneous Complex.
Some of the world’s major deposits of nickel, gold, silver, copper and chromium were produced in association with Archean greenstone volcanism. In this style of deposit, the nickel is typically concentrated at the base of the ultramafic top layer which is what Aldoro believes it has encountered.
According to the company, historical exploration at the project was generally focused on a different style of mineralisation whilst Aldoro plans to target the nickel-rich magmatic massive sulphides.
A versatile time-domain electromagnetic, or “VTEM” survey has been completed with results expected shortly. The survey screened the ancient greenstone rock unit along the western margin of the project area with the company naming it a high priority exploration target for nickel-copper sulphide deposits. The results of this survey will be analysed and reported when final datasets are received in full.
In addition a large loop high-power fixed loop electromagnetic survey is currently progressing over another three target areas. The survey aims to detect large, highly conductive and possibly deeper metallic bodies that would have been difficult for the VTEM setup to detect.
The explorer says any conductors generated by the subsurface scans will be verified with boots on the ground then mapped and surface sampled. Further down the line, Aldoro plans to perform target triage, additional surface electromagnetic work and drilling.
With the gap between global supply and demand for nickel appearing to widen and Aldoro increasingly hitting wide mineralised zones, the stars may be aligning at just the right time for this junior in its Western Australian nickel hunt.
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