Western Mines hits 269m of critical metals in WA drilling program

Western Mines Group has recorded its best shallow intersection to date from the latest phase four drilling program at the company’s flagship Mulga Tank nickel-cobalt-copper-platinum group elements (PGE) project in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields.

The company struck thick intervals of mineralisation from all four reverse circulation holes drilled, along with elevated levels of the pathfinder element sulphur. The standout hit from the 1309-metre program was a hole returning 269m grading 0.33 per cent nickel, 144 parts per million (ppm) cobalt and 215ppm copper from a shallow depth of 61m, with a sulphide to nickel ratio of 1:1. The hole ended in mineralisation and the addition of 27 parts per billion (ppb) platinum-palladium (PGE) gave the result a further boost.

The sulphide to nickel ratio is considered a strong geochemical indicator confirming the presence of active magmatic sulphide processes and the geochemical signature of nickel sulphide mineralisation.

Higher-grade sections within the impressively long hole comprised an 82m stretch going 0.43 per cent nickel, 183ppm cobalt, 533ppm copper and 30ppb PGE from 61m, which included a 15m slice of 0.75 per cent nickel, 318ppm cobalt, 0.12 per cent copper and 26ppb PGE from 85m.

This hole was more than 320m from the nearest drilled holes and is considered a new exploration area to zero in on potential starter-pit material. Drilling was widely spaced at about 400m intervals along the fence.

An even higher-grade slice was recorded at 6m at 1.18 per cent nickel, 480ppm cobalt, 0.11 per cent copper and 46ppb PGE from 94m.

The program focused on step-out holes drilled south of previous drilling and outside the known mineralisation. It highlighted that the project shares similarities with BHP’s Mount Keith-style disseminated sulphide system, providing large-scale potential upside.

Assays from the three remaining holes also delivered, with further long stretches of mineralised hits. The best of these was a second hole consisting of 243m running at 0.26 per cent nickel, 128ppm cobalt, 67ppm copper and 15ppb PGE from 82m depth.

A third hole returned cumulative hits of 171m at 0.27 per cent nickel, 119ppm cobalt, 50ppm copper and 18ppb PGE in two separate sections, from an initial depth of 106m down along a 227m deep stretch.

The fourth hole similarly returned a cumulative 147m going 0.27 per cent nickel, 126ppm cobalt, 27ppm copper and 19ppb PGE from four separate intervals, beginning from 84m to a depth of 294m.

These first four reverse circulation holes of the ongoing phase four program were drilled along a wide space fence, in a previously untested area, to the south of the current resource envelope.

Marriott said part of the company’s exploration focus with the drilling is to prove up two to three years of greater than 0.4 per cent nickel “starter-pit” material to optimise a possible future mine plan.

The company has been beavering away at the project, focusing intently on growing the mineral resource. It now has a whopping contained metal inventory of 5.3 million tonnes of nickel, 257,000t of cobalt, 161,000t of copper and 1.1 million ounces of the valuable PGE elements, platinum and palladium.

The globally significant resource includes an indicated category of 565Mt grading 0.28 per cent nickel, 134ppm cobalt, 104ppm copper and 18ppb platinum and palladium.

Notably, the drill program returned 25 intersections comprising more than 1 per cent nickel across an area of about 2 square kilometres in the core of the main body of the ultramafic complex within its ground. The results were mainly in the top 300 vertical metres from surface, presenting a potential open-pit scenario.

The drill spacing for the holes was set at a minimum 100m by 100m grid, pointing to the possibility of unearthing zones of higher-grade material within the lower-grade disseminated system.

A series of drill programs at Mulga Tank has continued to astound with the quality of the thick intervals encountered at the site and positions Western Mines’ project as a juggernaut in a market thirsty for high-value critical minerals.

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