Dundas Minerals Ltd (ASX:DUN) has started reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at its Matilda South nickel/copper exploration prospect.
Drilling will test for mineralisation, targeting a gravity anomaly interpreted as a mafic/ultramafic intrusive.
This is the first time the company has undertaken RC drilling at Matilda South, with the program to include a minimum of four deep RC holes of up to 400 metres.
Notably, drilling is 50% co-funded by the Western Australian Government to a combined maximum of $180,000 under its Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) and additional dill holes are also scheduled around the EIS co-funded drilling.
Dundas expects drilling to be completed in early March 2023 as it continues to explore for nickel, copper and gold in the prospective Albany-Fraser Orogen area.
About Matilda South
The Matilda South prospect is a large gravity anomaly, the identification of which was announced by Dundas Minerals on January 18, 2022. The gravity anomaly is interpreted as due to intrusive mafic or ultramafic rock types and is within a large magnetic low anomaly (see below).
Matilda South drill hole locations (WA Government EIS co-funded) on bouguer gravity image (colour), background is a grey-scale regional magnetic image.
The exploration model for Matilda South is magmatic sulphide mineralisation associated with a mafic-ultramafic intrusion. A shallow historical aircore drill hole (31 metres) proximal to the gravity anomaly was completed by Goldport Pty Ltd in 2006 following on from earlier soil geochemistry anomalies.
The drill hole was logged as having a bottom-of-hole intersection of “intermediate/mafic pluton or pyroxene granulite”, which supports Dundas Minerals’ interpretation of the rock type.
Drilling complete at Central South
As well as launching its first RC drill program at Matilda, Dundas has been busy finishing drilling diamond drill hole 6 (23CEDD006) at its Central South prospect.
Again, this was co-funded under round 26 of the WA EIS.
Dundas completed 667.9 metres as planned and all drill core has been logged, with drilling intersecting the centre of a very low resistivity audiomagnetotellurics (AMT) model anomaly (see below).
Interval of gold and copper mineralisation 22CEDD005, Central exploration target.
The company notes the observed geology is consistent with Hole 1.
The AMT anomaly that Hole 6 intersected is concluded to be sourced from a sub-vertical zone of thin massive sulphides (pyrrhotite and pyrite) and graphite, which is interpreted to be a shear zone.
Samples from the hole should be handed over for assay later in February 2023, following core cutting and sample preparation in Kalgoorlie.
Results are expected six to eight weeks after sample submission.
Assays received
Dundas has received assays for the remaining diamond drill holes (holes 3/3A, 4 and 5) completed at Central in 2022. Assays have not returned intervals of any significant mineralisation; however, Hole 5 returned a 0.3-metre interval from 173.9 metres of gold/copper mineralisation, assayed at 1.29 g/t gold, and Hole 3 returned various intervals of elevated carbon and total graphitic carbon.
Further to this, various intersections of massive graphite that were noted in November 2022 were completed on samples taken from six intervals of the drill core where high proportions of visual carbon had been logged.
Results from the six assays submitted to analyse for carbon (C) and total graphitic carbon (TGC), 22CEDD003: Central exploration target.
Each assay returned significant percentages of carbon and total graphitic carbon (TGC).
Dundas will now assess whether the Central exploration target represents a graphite exploration opportunity and will re-assay sample pulps and/or drill core for both cabron and TGC from drill holes where visible carbon was logged is being considered.