Special Report: WA explorer Auroch (ASX:AOU) is drilling the recently-acquired Firefly and Sinclair North prospects, where excellent nickel results from historic drilling were never followed up.

The 1,000m RC program will be the first since Auroch did a deal with Jindalee Resources (ASX:JRL) to earn up to 70 per cent of a four tenement package, increasing the size of its Leinster Nickel Project by 217km2.

Historic shallow drilling on both prospects uncovered nickel-rich ultramafic units in the weathered and transition zones recording a best intercept of 23m at 0.53 per cent nickel from 13m, with no follow-up deeper drilling completed.

Auroch has used the old drill-hole data to map out a footwall ultramafic–basalt footwall contact over 1.3km-long which will now be drill tested for nickel sulphides.

The drilling will aim to test the contact in fresh rock at a down-hole depth of ~100m.

Three holes have been planned at Firefly and two at Sinclair North with follow-up down hole electromagnetic surveys to ‘light up’ any nickel-rich conductors in the area.

“These targets are shaping up to have all of the necessary characteristics to potentially host significant nickel sulphide mineralisation, and sit directly along the magnetic trend from BHP’s (ASX:BHP) group of high-grade massive nickel sulphide mines to the north and Saracen Mineral Holding’s (ASX:SAR) Sinclair nickel sulphide mine to the south,” said Auroch managing director Aidan Platel.

Dialling in on a tier-1 discovery

Elsewhere at the Leinster Project, early results from 1,478m of maiden drilling at the Valdez prospect, look positive, the company says.

“Each drill-hole has intersected thick packages of fertile ultramafic rocks within the modelled channel/embayment,” he says.

“This is a great initial result and we eagerly await the geochemical assays and DHEM results from this program which will help us vector in on possible massive nickel sulphide mineralisation”, says Mr Platel.

Auroch is working hard to systematically drill test its expansive nickel portfolio.

“Our aggressive yet systematic exploration programme continues to gain momentum, with an RC program to test channel targets at the Saints nickel project [will] commence later next week, followed by a significant drilling programme at the Horn prospect of the Leinster nickel project to begin in early October, aimed at converting the historic nickel sulphide resource estimate to be JORC (2012)- compliant,” he says.

“We look forward to keeping the market updated with results as they come to hand.”

 

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

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

 

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