Estrella spies semi-massive sulphides in copper-nickel deposit

Estrella Resources has recorded a 17m intersection of semi-massive to disseminated nickel-copper sulphides at its Broonhill deposit, part of the company’s Carr Boyd nickel-copper project near Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia.

The company says results show Broonhill remains open along strike, is increasing in scale and a separate deposit to the T5 mineralisation 1.5km to the south.

Estrella says the most recent drillhole confirms the Broonhill mineralisation is also increasing in sulphide content and exhibits a southerly plunge direction consistent with T5.

The Broonhill deposit was identified in October last year after the explorer intercepted 12 metres of nickel-copper sulphides on previously untested ground.

Recent step-out drilling at T5 last month showed one hole recorded 26.51m of disseminated to stringer sulphides from 382.4m, 15.75m of disseminated to highly disseminated sulphides from 472.35m and 10.7m of disseminated to semi-massive sulphides from 559.6m.

The second hole intersected 17.45m of disseminated to semi-massive sulphides from 499.85m.

The company says the third hole struck 11.25m of blebby and globular sulphides from 587.9m.

Previous holes completed at T5 found multiple zones of nickel and copper sulphides, including high-grade massive sulphides over 4 per cent.

Estrella will begin testing its Gossan Hill prospect on the east side of the Boyd Carr complex that appears to mirror the T5-Broonhill basal contact.

Gossan Hill has not been drilled before 2022 and the same systematic approach that discovered Broonhill will be applied to the area.

The explorer still has an enormous area of highly prospective basal contact to explore at Carr Boyd and has planned downhole electromagnetic surveying and seismic interpretation to identify further drill targets.

However, Estrella says it is making great progress with its recently commissioned diamond drill rig that can produce more than 100m of core per day.

Estrella Resources Managing Director, Chris Daws said: “Our 100 per cent owned Carr Boyd nickel and copper project continues to deliver the results we had predicted from our geological modelling and this latest drill hit has proven we need to be methodical in our search and leave no rock unturned.”

The Carr Boyd project takes in the historical Carr Boyd Rocks mine that produced about 200,000 tonnes of ore at 1.43 per cent nickel and 0.46 per cent copper in the 1970s.

A JORC2004-compliant resource of 636,000 tonnes at 1.4 per cent nickel and 0.5 per cent copper remains.

Last month first assays from a hole drilled at the company’s 5A resource at its Spargoville nickel project near Kambalda returned a 3.4m intersection recording 8.2 per cent nickel, 0.6 per cent copper, 0.2 per cent cobalt and 21.5 per cent sulphur from 65.16m.

Management believes the assays are highly encouraging, with further results expected to support Estrella’s decision to fast-track mining at its  5A site.

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