Askari Metals has completed a follow-up probe to test the copper-nickel potential indicated by rock sampling results at its promising Callawa project in Western Australia, about 90km north-east of Marble Bar.
The company is now awaiting analytical results from an extensive soil geochemical survey that comprised 864 auger samples. It designed the program to follow up on anomalous geochemical signatures from historic rock-chip sampling that included 9.35 per cent copper with 25.9 grams per tonne silver and 7.63 per cent copper with 15.7g/t silver.
Other historic rock sampling programs returned results of between 2.5 per cent and 19 per cent copper, while the nickel potential is highlighted by results of greater than 1000 parts per million nickel, accompanied by cobalt, chrome and copper.
The company says initial reconnaissance mapping and sampling at its Du Valles prospect also produced respective high-grade copper results running at 6.78 per cent, 4.35 per cent, 2.02 per cent and 1.85 per cent. The work followed up a high-definition drone magnetic survey flown last year across Du Valles and the surrounding areas at 50m line spacing for 408 line kilometres, covering an area of nearly 18 square kilometres.
A review of historical data collected by the company last year also identified elevated copper, nickel, cobalt and chromium results from four samples taken within the drone survey area. It included respective values of 1610ppm nickel, 119ppm copper and 1760ppm chrome; 1570ppm nickel, 106ppm copper and 1620ppm chrome; 1320ppm nickel, 84ppm copper and 1820ppm chrome; and 1160ppm nickel, 80ppm copper and 1200ppm chrome.
Each of the elevated copper-nickel-cobalt-chromium results are located on a structure identified by the high-definition magnetic survey as a “magnetic low”, or demagnetised zone, which may be interpreted as indicating hydrothermal fluid flow.
Askari Metals vice president of exploration and geology Johan Lambrechts said: "While the Company maintains its focus on its flagship Uis Lithium Project in Namibia, exploration activities on its Australian projects have been ongoing with several geochemical and mapping projects. The Callawa project exhibits great potential for both copper and nickel mineralisation”.
The company believes the local mineralisation assemblage and anomalism may indicate the existence of a high-grade epithermal copper system fed by a deep porphyry intrusive. That could be interpreted from the ring structure underlying the project that bears the characteristics of a potential porphyry terrane.
The Callawa project sits within the north-eastern margin of WA’s Pilbara Craton. The area has proven historically to be well-mineralised, highly-productive and highly-prospective, with the Telfer gold mine, Nifty copper mine and more recently, Rio Tinto’s 500-million-tonne Winu copper deposit now rated as one of the world’s most significant discoveries of its kind in the past decade.
Management says results from the soil sampling program will determine the direction of further exploration plans, including an initial drilling campaign.
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By Doug Bright
