Drilling by Amur Minerals Corporation (LON:AMC) designed to link the Ikenskoe/Sobolevsky (IKEN) and Kubuk (KUB) deposits in Russia, has already identified a minimum 2,200 metres of new mineralisation along ISK, the three kilometre exploration anomaly.
Newly acquired drill results are expected to materially increase the current resource, which stands at 770,000 tonnes of nickel and 207,000 tonnes of copper.
READ: Amur Minerals says drill results on Kubuk deposit confirm potential to substantially upgrade the current Mineral Resource Estimate
The average thickness per ore hole in the most recent drilling is 23.1 metres with an average length weighted nickel grade of 0.87% and 0.24% for copper.
New mineralisation has been identified immediately to the east of IKEN deposit, where 500 additional metres nearly double the size of the deposit.
The KUB deposit has been extended to the west by nearly 600 metres, doubling the size of the deposit.
What’s more, a third mineralised block (ISK-2) has been identified in this area. It is 800 metres long and contains an average of 24.2 metres thickness averaging 0.79% nickel and 0.21% copper.
READ: Amur Minerals eyes one million tonnes of nickel at Kun-Manie
A segment totalling 800 metres along the ISK target remains to be drilled. The untested block of ground lies between mineralised holes.
Successful drilling could link the areas, forming a single deposit with a continuous mineralised length of nearly 2.5km.
All-told, it should mean a substantial and material upgrade to the existing resource.
"Resource expansion drilling has been highly successful,” said Amur chief executive Robin Young.
“Drilling along the exploration anomaly linking Ikenskoye / Sobolevsky and Kubuk concludes that these two deposits are part of a single longer trend. More drilling remains to be completed to fully link the two deposits.”