Great Southern survey to define size and scale of East Laverton nickel project

Great Southern is looking to improve its understanding of two of the largest conductors at its East Laverton nickel project ahead of planned drilling.

To achieve this objective, the company has started a fixed-loop electromagnetic (FLEM) survey to infill last-year’s moving-loop electromagnetic survey that had allowed three bedrock conductors to be mapped.

Great Southern Mining (ASX:GSN) intends for the FLEM survey to refine the strike and dip of the two largest conductors and complete a a heritage survey later this month to facilitate drill testing.

Exploring for nickel now seems incredibly well timed given that prices have hit their highest level since 2011.

“Whilst the company is busy advancing its gold projects in Laverton with further drill programs set to commence at Southern Star, the East Laverton Nickel Project presents an opportunity for GSN to make a company changing discovery,” executive chairman John Terpu said.

“Based on the MLEM survey from 2021, the highly prospective nickel sulphide target is of the size and scale that presents a compelling drill target.

“With the conductors being modelled in the bedrock and on the edge of a regional gravity anomaly, the target is in a favourable position for massive sulphide accumulation.”

Along with the MLEM, this FLEM survey is again being designed and modelled by Bill Amann from leading exploration and geophysical consultants Newexco Exploration Pty Ltd (Newexco), who have been instrumental in the discovery of numerous major nickel sulfide deposits in Western Australia over the last 20 years including Flying Fox, Spotted Quoll and Nova.

East Laverton nickel

The East Laverton project is dominated by the 110sqkm Diorite Hill magmatic complex that is abutted to the south by the Rotorua Komatiite – a 10km by 1.5km ultramafic.

Komatiite flows have been the main source of developed nickel-sulphide mines in Western Australia and have been explored extensively since the late 1960’s.

They remain the type of nickel mineralisation that most programs in the state are focused on due to their well understood geochemistry, formation, and high-grade sulphide enrichment process within defined channels.

Elsewhere, large-scale magmatic nickel deposits are common, producing world-class deposits with long productive mine lives.

While previously overlooked in Western Australia, the 2012 discovery of Nova-Bollinger has sparked interest in magmatic nickel finds as komatiite sources dry up – a development supported by the recent discovery of Julimar. It is this “Voisey Bay” magmatic style model has not been adequately explored at Diorite Hill. This represents a compelling exploration target opportunity which the Company intends to aggressively pursue.