Aspiring nickel producer St George has confirmed further drilling intersections of nickel-copper sulphides across its three prospects at the Mt Alexander project about100km west of Leonora in the northern Goldfields.
In a market update this week the company said that down hole testing of an off-hole electromagnetic conductor was successful at the Stricklands project in identifying a new 6.25 metre intersection of nickel sulphide mineralisation.
Preliminary XRF assay analyses of the intercept identified a higher-grade zone of 3.34 metres grading an impressive 5.5% nickel and 1.7% copper from 70.11m down-hole.
The company said the result is significant, because the mineralisation was not originally detected in ground-based electromagnetic geophysical surveys it had recently completed in the area.
St George reported that down-hole EM surveys of the newly completed holes at Stricklands have identified multiple off-hole conductors that it will now seek to chase down.
This implies further potential for deposits of nickel sulphides to be present at Stricklands and possibly even more widely, along the 4.5km long east-northeast striking corridor at the Mt Alexander project.
Drilling at the Investigators prospect, west of Stricklands, intersected a narrow intersection of 0.26m assaying 3% nickel and 5% copper using XRF analyses from 175.79m down-hole.
More importantly, 3 of the holes completed at Investigators showed strong off-hole EM conductors consistent with accumulations of massive nickel sulphides.
Drilling in 2017 at Investigators returned an enticing intersection of 5.3m @ 4.95% nickel, 2.75% copper, 0.16% cobalt and 4.55g/t combined PGE, clearly defining the prospect’s pedigree.
St George Mining’s Executive Chairman John Prineas said: “The drilling results at Mt Alexander are very exciting. Our high success rate in testing EM targets along the Cathedrals Belt has continued with all EM targets drilled being confirmed as nickel-copper sulphides."
“Perhaps more significantly, we have also intersected additional thick massive sulphides at Stricklands in an area where previous ground-based EM surveys did not identify any conductors. This provides encouragement that the extent of mineralisation at Stricklands could be greater than indicated by the surface EM surveys.”
“At Investigators, the first deep drilling of additional SAMSON EM anomalies has resulted in several strong off-hole DHEM conductors being detected for follow-up testing."
“These targets include a very strong conductor modelled and located down dip from the best intersection to date of massive nickel-copper sulphides at Investigators.”
Two drill holes were also completed at the Cathedrals prospect, east of Stricklands with assay results still pending.
St George is continuing with its concerted and patient exploration efforts at Mt Alexander in search of a near-surface, economic, nickel resource and this weeks discovery of further nickel sulphides appears to add some weight to its exploration strategy.
By Matt Birney
