A further 1,000 soil samples have been recently collected and submitted to the laboratory, with results due in Q4 2023. Pic via Getty Images.
IPT spots five large nickel-copper-PGM anomalies at the Arkun battery metals project
Mining
share
On top of the REE soil geochemical anomalies recently discovered at Arkun, Impact Minerals has encountered five high-priority targets for nickel-copper-platinum group metals mineralisation in WA’s southwest.
The nickel-copper-PGM anomalies, up to 4km long and 2km wide, are coincident with either gravity highs or magnetic lows, which together may represent mafic and ultramafic intrusions that are potential hosts for nickel-copper-PGM sulphide mineralisation.
Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT) says these anomalies include strong responses for nickel, copper, palladium, platinum and gold, and indicate the association with sulphide mineralisation rather than simply arising from elevated backgrounds of nickel and copper in mafic and ultramafic rocks.
Results are in
Response ratios vary up to 217 times background for nickel, 102 times background for copper, 2745 times background for palladium and exceptionally strong responses for gold of up to 2,536 times background for gold.
In fact, some of the stronger gold responses may be prospective for gold alone and further work is warranted on these areas, IPT says.
Area A, called the Plutonius prospect, is a 2km long Ni-Cu-PGM soil anomaly, open to the north and south, which coincides with the flank of a moderate gravity feature interpreted as a mafic intrusion.
Area B consists of a strong Ni-Cu-PGM anomaly, open to the southwest, within a magnetic low, and open to the southeast. The magnetic low could represent a mafic intrusion or a zone of intense magnetite destruction caused by hydrothermal fluids.
Area C called the Three Eagles prospect, consists of multiple moderate to strong Ni-Cu-PGM anomalies situated on a moderate gravity feature and has yet to be field checked.
And Area D consists of a large 4-kilometre by 2-kilometre wide Ni-Cu-PGM anomaly that occurs on the flank of a gravity high and is associated with linear magnetic units interpreted as deformed greenstone belt rocks
These new results cover only a small part of the Arkun project, and clearly demonstrate the significant prospectivity of the Arkun project area for a wide range of battery metals.
More anomalies to come in new mineral province
IPT managing director Mike Jones says the project continues to be significantly bolstered by ongoing soil geochemistry work.
“All five of these targets were generated from our initial roadside geochemical traverses, and we are having a high success rate in generating significant-sized areas for follow-up work,” he explains.
“With a further 1,000 soil samples in the laboratory, I am confident we will have more anomalies to come.
“The Arkun area is poorly explored, a fact recently emphasised by the $20 million-dollar joint venture between Chalice Mining and private company Northam Resources on the ground immediately next door to Arkun.
“This region of Western Australia is continuing to emerge as a significant new mineral province.”
What’s next for IPT?
The company is now planning to conduct follow-up work which will include field checking and further soil sampling. Additional soil geochemistry surveys have been completed over more of the initial targets.
About 1,000 samples have already been submitted to the laboratory, with further work dependent on land access during the cropping season.
This article was developed in collaboration with Impact Minerals, 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.
