Miramar Resources spots nickel and copper sulphides at Mt Vernon

Miramar Resources confirms nickel and copper sulphides for first time at Mt Vernon
Company confident presence could indicate a deposit in the region
Further rock chip analysis and a diamond drill hole at Trouble Bore planned

Special Report: Miramar Resources says analysis of RC drill samples from its Mount Vernon project – part of its Bangemall nickel-copper-cobalt-platinum group elements projects in WA – have confirmed the presence of nickel and copper sulphides.

The project is part of a geological province in WA’s Gascoyne region that is the same age as the Giles Complex which hosts the large Nebo and Babel Ni-Cu deposits in the West Musgraves.

The region has been identified by the Geological Survey of Western Australia, Geoscience Australia and the CSIRO as having high prospectivity for mineralisation associated with the Kulkatharra Dolerite sills – a feature that reads like the giant Norilsk Ni-Cu-PGE deposits in Russia.

This is the first time nickel and copper sulphides have been confirmed within the Kulkatharra Dolerite.

While no firm conclusions could be made about potential zoning due to limitations in the resolution of the micro-XRF analysis, the company says the new data indicates the potential for deposits where these nickel-copper sulphides could accumulate.

Bangemall could host large deposits

Miramar Resources (ASX:M2R) executive chairman Allan Kelly said the new data confirmed Bangemall as a mineral province with the potential to host large nickel-copper-cobalt and platinum group element (Ni-Cu-Co-PGE) deposits.

“We targeted the Bangemall projects on the basis of several regional-scale data sets which indicated the potential for Norilsk-style, mafic intrusion hosted magmatic Ni-Cu-Co-PGE mineralisation,” he said.

“Our rock chip sampling and drilling provided evidence of the presence of differentiated dolerite sills containing mafic cumulate rocks and now, for the first time, we have confirmed the presence of nickel and copper sulphides within our projects.

“This new data proves we are on the right track.”

Planned future work includes signing up to the CSIRO’s ‘Indicator Minerals for Magmatic Nickel Sulphides’ study.

The company will also further analyse rock chip and drilling samples to determine the presence of zoning in pyroxenes – which is a key indicator of a fertile Ni-Cu-Co-PGE mineral system.

Miramar will also complete a diamond drill hole at the high-priority Trouble Bore target, and will apply for WA government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) funding for regional geophysical surveys to cover the Mount Vernon, Trouble Bore and new tenement applications.

This article was developed in collaboration with Miramar Resources, 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.