Toro Energy has confirmed massive nickel sulphide hits at the Dimma discovery that forms part of its greater Dusty nickel project after the return of assays previously identified by X-ray fluorescence analysis.
Results show one diamond drill hole at the site intersected 4.31m of massive nickel sulphides at 1.16 per cent nickel and 0.29 per cent copper, in addition to 0.386 grams per tonne platinum and palladium from 243.33m. A second diamond hole recorded a 3.13m hit at 1.42 per cent nickel and 0.17 per cent copper with 0.605g/t platinum and palladium from 314m.
Dimma is one of four nickel sulphide discoveries in a 7.5km-long komatiite rock unit at Toro’s wholly-owned Dusty nickel project in Western Australia’s northern Goldfields region. It sits 50km east of the world-class Mt Keith nickel mine, 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.
The company’s original hand-held X-ray fluorescence analysis was reported last year and has now been confirmed through returned geochemical assays.
Toro Energy executive chairman Richard Homsany said: “Toro continues to consistently deliver value adding results that suggest the Dusty Project has the potential to be a district-scale nickel discovery in a prime mining jurisdiction in Western Australia. These impressive results from Dimma, follow the recent confirmation of massive nickel sulphide mineralisation at the Jumping Jack Prospect, located some 400m along trend.”
Just last month, the company similarly confirmed massive nickel sulphides at its Jumping Jack discovery, about 400m north of Dimma. One of the drillholes at Jumping Jack showed 3.45m of massive nickel-sulphides at 1.42 per cent nickel and 0.19 per cent copper with 0.76g/t platinum and palladium from 240.2m downhole, including 1.45m going 2.2 per cent nickel and 0.36 per cent copper in addition to 1.27g/t platinum and palladium from 242.2m downhole.
A second hole intersected 2.44m of massive nickel-sulphides grading 1.16 per cent nickel, 0.2 per cent copper and 0.77g/t platinum and palladium from 231.65m downhole.
The massive nickel-bearing sulphides at Dimma sit at the base of the Dusty unit in the same manner as it does in other holes at the discovery and the adjoining deposits 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, but analysis will be needed to confirm whether it is the same 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 drillhole and it returned 3.05m grading 1.59 per cent nickel from 297.75m.
The discoveries at Dusty – all named after players or coaches from the Richmond Football Club’s successful 2017 AFL premiership team – are believed to be the first komatiite-hosted massive nickel-sulphides to be discovered along the Yandal greenstone belt and remain open at depth.
While former coach Damien Hardwick, whose nickname is “Dimma”, left Richmond earlier this year after guiding the club to three flags, Toro will be hoping to dig a bit deeper at the exciting prospect named in his honour as the market keeps a close eye on more nickel results from the Tigers-themed operation.
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By Michael Philipps
