Solid rock chip samples spark drilling push for Aldoro

Mineral explorer Aldoro Resources has turned up some promising results from rock chip samples containing lithium, nickel, copper and gold at its Narndee and Wyemandoo prospects near Mt Magnet in WA. The company is now planning a round of detailed mapping and drilling to run the samples to ground.

The recent rock chip samples from the Wyemandoo Pegmatite Swarm in particular showed some interesting results which the company says warrant drilling to investigate further. These include high-grade rubidium and highly anomalous lithium, with the best results 0.8 per cent rubidium and 0.81 lithium.

Rock samples taken from the gossan fields at the nearby Narndee Igneous Complex showed promising results for copper, returning 0.16 per cent and nickel at 921 parts per million.

One of the gossan fields is located over the Kiabye Greenstone Belt, which Aldoro considers highly prospective for nickel, copper and gold and may represent a feeder for the Narndee complex.

Aldoro has also turned up some interesting results from the Quandong Well area where it sampled gold and copper prospects. These included gold at 1.93 grams per tonne and copper at 0.45 per cent at Zone B. The area was the focus of historic exploration and sampling in the 1970s by Dampier Mining, a subsidiary of BHP, with significant copper, zinc and gold results reported in oxide phases close to the surface.  

Aldoro also has an eye on a potentially mineralised area it controls extending 22 kilometres from Quandong Wells. 

Looking forward, the company plans to complete a systematic rock chip and soil sampling program and detailed mapping of the Wyemandoo Pegmatite Swarm to determine the best sites to drill.

It will also undertake field reconnaissance and mapping to assess prospective areas for lithium, copper, gold and nickel and the company says it will work to build and improve its “inadequate” surface geochemical dataset.

The West Australian focused explorer has its sights set on several prospects in the Mid West region, including a world-class rubidium deposit at the Niobe project, where it is undertaking an extensive drilling program. It has gold, nickel, copper and lithium prospects elsewhere in the region that appear ripe for the picking.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au