Toro Energy has extended its Dimma nickel discovery with another massive nickel sulphide intersection.
The company’s latest drilling intersected an 8.9m zone of visible nickel sulphide mineralisation from 327.2m downhole including 2.4m of massive nickel sulphide where portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) spot analysis showed between 1.4 and 5.1 per cent nickel. Dimma is one of four nickel sulphide discoveries in a 7.5km long Dusty komatiite rock unit at Toro’s wholly owned Dusty nickel project in the Yandal greenstone belt 50km east of the world class Mt Keith nickel mine.
The current nickel intersection extends the Dimma massive sulphide approximately 15m south from a previous drillhole with a 2.5m massive nickel sulphide intersection at a similar depth. Grades from p-XRF readings in this intersection varied between 1.0 and 3.1 per cent nickel. Toro said all four holes drilled at Dimma have hit massive nickel sulphide and the discovery remains open along strike in both directions and at depth.
With the first diamond drilling campaign of 2023 at the Dusty nickel project now wrapped up, future programs will be based upon upcoming assay results.
So far Toro has tested 3.5km of the 7.5km long Dusty komatiite rock unit and associated magnetic high with four nickel sulphide discoveries being unearthed in the process. The massive nickel bearing sulphides at Dimma sit at the base of the Dusty komatiite rock unit in the same manner as other holes at Dimma and the adjoining discoveries at Jumping Jack, Houli Dooley and Dusty. The nickel bearing zones at the first three discoveries also have substantial copper, cobalt, platinum and palladium credits and analysis will be needed to confirm whether this is the case at Dimma.
Headline results from the other discoveries at the project include 9m at 2.07 per cent nickel from 250.9m at Dusty. Houli Dooley has only had one drill hole and this returned 3.05m grading 1.59 per cent nickel from 297.75m. Two holes at Jumping Jack returned up to 3.4m of nickel bearing semi-massive and massive sulphide from 240.3m downhole with p-XRF results between 1.44 and 4.66 per cent nickel.
The Dimma discovery is located approximately 400m southerly from the recent Jumping Jack discovery. The company says there remains considerable undrilled strike length between Jumping Jack and Dimma and along strike southerly from Dimma.
Toro Energy executive chairman Richard Homsany said: “This is yet another outstanding intersection of massive Ni-sulphide at the Dimma Nickel Discovery. With all four discoveries along strike over some 2km of the Dusty Komatiite, we believe the Dusty Nickel Project has excellent potential to deliver considerable value for the company.”
Management believes the Dimma discovery represents an open lens of continuous massive nickel sulphide mineralisation over some 112m of downdip extent. Results from previous holes at Dimma include: 14.8m of visible nickel sulphides from 232.9m downhole including 3.6m of massive nickel sulphide with p-XRF grades between 1.45 and 3.66 per cent nickel; 39m of visible nickel sulphides from 159m containing 4.5m of massive nickel sulphide with p-XRF grades between 1.9 and 3.1 per cent nickel and 20.5m of visible nickel sulphides from 296.6m with an internal 2.5m of massive nickel sulphide with p-XRF grades between 1.0 and 3.1 per cent nickel
Further south from Dimma, the Yandal Onezone extends the strike of the Dusty komatiite nickel host to a combined length over 15km. Toro’s nickel discoveries sit approximately 50km east of the world class Mount Keith nickel deposit which had an original resource of 647 million tonnes at 0.52 per cent nickel. Owned by BHP, Mount Keith is a bulk tonnage nickel mine with remaining resources of 224 million tonnes going 0.53 per cent nickel.
Toro sees its tenements as a unique exploration opportunity with 243 square kilometres of the world class Yandal greenstone belt gold district remaining relatively untested due to a blanket of transported cover. Toro argues its massive sulphide nickel discoveries were the first in the Yandal Belt and with a lot of strike to be tested and discoveries open in all directions the company could be just hitting the tip of the iceberg.
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By Terry Bates
