Auroch finds high-grade nickel outside of current resource at Saints

Auroch just hit notable intersections outside of the current modelled resource at the Saint Patricks deposit at its Saints nickel project in WA.

The holes returned:

3.01m at 5.23% nickel, 0.69% copper, 0.77 g/t platinum group elements (PGE) from177.08m (SNDD021); and
0.84m at 2.98% nickel, 0.36% copper, 0.67 g/t PGE from 177.73m (SNDD022).

The diamond drill program was aimed at upgrading – and potentially extending – the current Saints mineral resource of 1.02Mt at 2.0% nickel for 21,400t of contained nickel.

And it looks like the company is on track to achieve this – with the results expected to increase the contained nickel metal for Saint Patricks when the updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) is completed next quarter.

Bridging the gap in the resource

“The assay results have exceeded expectations confirming high-grade intersections of massive nickel sulphides in holes SNDD021 and SNDD022, which have shown that mineralisation is actually continuous right through what was previously interpreted to be a gap in the Saint Patricks Resource,” Auroch Minerals (ASX:AOU) MD Aidan Platel said.

Planned upgrade on track

“The nickel sulphides intersected in the infill drilling has been consistent with our current model which confirms our existing resource estimation and bodes well for the planned upgrade to the Saints Resource, which will underpin the scoping study that is ongoing.

The company is progressing its scoping study as it looks to leverage strong nickel prices through near term development.

And drilling will now move on to Auroch’s other projects – Leinster and Nepean.

“We eagerly await more assay results from this diamond drill program at Saints, whilst we now turn our attention to upcoming drill programs at our Leinster and Nepean Nickel Projects,” Platel said.

This article was developed in collaboration with Auroch Minerals Limited, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.