Lunnon continues to strike massive nickel sulphides in Kambalda

Lunnon Metals is continuing to hit massive sulphide intersections at its Kambalda nickel project, striking 1.9m of massive nickel sulphides in diamond drilling at the East Cooee Hanging Wall prospect.

The diamond core of the intersect is visually estimated to feature more than 95% massive sulphides.

Lunnon (ASX:LM8) struck the target zone 10m away and down dip from 6m of massive sulphides previously reported in a nearby RC infill hole.

Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (or XRF) readings supported the presence of nickel in the interval, although Lunnon will need to wait for assays from hole ECO21DD_004 to come back from the labs next year for confirmation.

When they do arrive, it should start Lunnon’s 2022 off on a positive note.

“It’s satisfying to see the diamond core confirm the high tenor of nickel mineralisation in the recent RC hole we reported,” Lunnon MD Ed Ainscough said.

“We will learn a lot from detailed geological logging of the mineralisation and structure and there will be follow up RC and diamond in the new year to chase up the areas where the mineralisation is not yet closed off.

“The results from the diamond and RC programmes, when they come, should be a bright start to 2022.”

Lunnon’s RC and diamond drilling, which is now completed for 2021, indicates the higher grade mineralisation may remain open in certain directions.

Nod to history

In a nod to Kambalda’s rich nickel history, Lunnon has turned back time to rename the East Cooee-HW discovery the Baker project.

That follows a time-honoured naming convention for mines in Kambalda, which Western Mining Corporation named after drillers who made the discovery.

The tradition goes all the way back to the inspiration for the Lunnon Metals name itself. The company is named after Jack Lunnon, who drilled Kambalda’s first nickel find in January 1966.

Lunnon is looking to replicate, continue and expand on the success WMC had at its Foster and Jan mines from the 1970s through to the mid-90s.

The return of the custom could be perceived as both a nod to the past and a statement of Lunnon’s intent in the district, which boss Ed Ainscough views as the best place in the world to explore for nickel sulphides.

The honour at the East Cooee – HW target will go to Blue Spec Drilling’s Graeme Baker.

“Lunnon Metals itself is ultimately named after a driller, Jack Lunnon, who intersected the very first nickel in drillhole KD1 at Kambalda 56 years ago next month,” Ainscough said.

“We like this tradition and Graeme and Blue Spec have done a great job getting us to this point at East Cooee, so it is fitting that this exciting project will be “Baker” from now on.”

A new resource centre

Baker is emerging as a potential second centre for Lunnon outside its existing 39,000t at 3.2% resource at 85H, Foster South and Warren.

The target mineralised zone is just 100-165m below surface and within 400m of a gold open pit previously operated by Lunnon’s major shareholder Gold Fields as part of its St Ives gold operations, providing a platform for future developments.

The immediate hanging wall komatiite rock has also been recorded as a competent unit, another positive factor for future studies into the Baker opportunity.

Lunnon says it plans to produce a maiden mineral resource “as soon as possible in 2022”.

Assay results from the RC infill program and diamond hole at Baker are expected late January at the earliest, but geological interpretation has already started so Lunnon can get a head start on its planned mineral resource estimation work.

Samples from ECO21DD_004 and future diamond core will also feed in to the geotechnical and metallurgical assessments which are part of the process.

This article was developed in collaboration with Lunnon Metals, 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.