Western Mines Group has encountered visible sulphide mineralisation in every hole drilled so far in its latest campaign at the company’s massive Mulga Tank nickel-copper-cobalt-platinum group elements project in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields.

The company says the first 10 reverse-circulation (RC) drill holes of its phase-five program have now been completed for 3114m, with all holes encountering visible disseminated sulphides.

Several intercepts also showed coarser stringer-to-semi-massive sulphides in follow-up drilling near a previously tested high-grade target area.

The phase-five campaign aims to identify and delineate higher-grade mineralisation within the main body of the Mulga Tank ultramafic complex.

Nine more holes have been pre-collared and are ready to be drilled across the next two weeks, including tests of new western areas and further follow-up work near a separate shallow nickel zone.

The current run is expected to culminate in two shallow diamond holes near the follow-up zone, with RC pre-collars already drilled to 100m.

Management says it expects the rig to take a short break from late July to provide a seismically quiet site ahead of an Exploration Incentive Scheme co-funded seismic survey planned for August.

The survey is designed to help map the basal contact and three-dimensional architecture of the complex, including a possible feeder vent. It will also support the company’s hunt for Perseverance-style massive nickel sulphide accumulations beneath the already-defined disseminated nickel system.

The Phase 5 program is progressing well. We’ve pre-collared a good batch of holes and are in the process of drilling these out over the next couple of weeks. Along with the recent MTRC001 diamond tail, these will complete the majority of the previously announced Phase 5 plans.

Mulga Tank already carries a staggering overall resource of 1.968 billion tonnes at 0.27 per cent nickel for more than 5.3 million tonnes of contained nickel, making it Australia’s biggest nickel sulphide deposit.

Recent exploration work has added to the broader story, with a shallow diamond hole drilled as part of the phase-four program in May returning 230.2m at 0.30 per cent nickel from 90m.

In June, a deep diamond tail delivered a 116m basal zone grading 0.50 per cent nickel, including 38m at 0.71 per cent.

Descriptions of visible sulphides are not a substitute for laboratory assays, but they do suggest Western Mines is still seeing the right rocks in the right places.

With more drilling to come soon and seismic work queued up behind it, Mulga Tank looks set to keep generating news through the winter field season.

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