ASX-listed explorer Todd River Resources is waiting for a truckload of assays from nearly 300 drill holes in a large maiden drilling campaign at Berkshire Valley, north of the exciting Julimar nickel and platinum group element discovery in Western Australia. The company suggested the intersected rocks indicate it is in the right geological environment for nickel-copper-PGE mineralisation.
The company has completed 297 holes of air-core drilling over a large area of PGE geochemical anomalism defined by earlier work along what it calls the western trend of the Berkshire Ultramafic Complex.
Todd River says about 5,500m of drilling intersected broad zones of mafic and ultramafic rocks with varying degrees of shearing and alteration over about 8km of strike.
There were no large accumulations of sulphides in drill holes however the company noted fine grained mafic through dolerite and gabbro were present. Additionally, the intersections included pyroxenitic and ultramafic rocks, including high magnesium oxide cumulate textured rocks which the company said indicates the setting are right for nickel-copper and PGE mineralisation.
Some 2,860 samples from the drilling have been submitted to the labs in Perth where they will be analysed for base and precious metals. First results are projected to be released at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, geochemical sampling along the eastern trend at Berkshire Valley produced 2,000 samples that will soon be dispatched to the labs.
The sampling program marks the first systematic exploration initiative along the eastern trend with assays forecast for release in June.
Todd River will look to begin further drilling along both trends when all assays are in.
A combination of reverse circulation and diamond drilling may be on the cards at the western trend, whilst at the eastern trend the company plans some geophysics together with air-core drilling of generated targets.
Berkshire Valley is 160km north of Perth and about 100km north of the much-heralded Julimar PGE-nickel-copper-cobalt discovery made by ASX-listed Chalice Mining in 2020.
The first hole from Chalice’s maiden drilling campaign at Julimar returned a remarkable 19m intercept going 8.4 grams per tonne palladium, 1.1 g/t platinum, 2.6 per cent nickel, 1 per cent copper and 0.14 per cent cobalt from 48m depth.
Some 40km of target stratigraphy at Berkshire Valley has been reported by Todd River, with the project believed to host geological and geometrical similarities to the Julimar discovery.
The market will be watching Todd River’s progress closely as it continues to accelerate exploration at Berkshire Valley in the hunt for the district’s next big multi-metal find.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au
By Matt Birney
