Orion Minerals Ltd (ASX:ORN) has intersected massive sulphide stringer veins in a diamond drill hole at the Rok Optel nickel-copper target, 80 kilometres from its Prieska Zinc-Copper Project.
The drilling is part of an ongoing exploration program and is testing Rok Optel for nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group elements (PGE).
Two previous holes were drilled at the target and the third was designed to target a down-hole electromagnetic (DHEM) conductor, completed to a depth of 532.73 metres.
The third hole intersected three significant zones of magmatic sulphide mineralisation, all of which are characterised by the presence of sulphide veins injected into both the host rock and the intrusion.
Orion managing director & CEO said the Rok Optel target was continuing to emerge as a very promising nickel-sulphide project.
He said: “The vein, stringer and massive sulphides intersected in recently-completed diamond hole OROD003 can be correlated with the mineralisation intersected previously in drill holes OROD001 and OROD002.
“[This confirms] the potential scale and significance of the target which we now recognise as having an extensive and complex multi-phase intrusive history.
“The identification of magmatic sulphide veins injected into the country rock is also particularly encouraging as it highlights the potential to discover bulk massive sulphide mineralisation.”
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Orion reported that magmatic sulphide mineralisation is present within the lower two intrusions and the uppermost intrusion hosts mineralisation from 361.98 metres to 415.78 metres.
The uppermost intrusion also includes a well-mineralised zone from 397.29 metres to 407.73 metres with injected stringers, veins and massive sulphide zones that locally brecciate and host autoliths of the intrusion silicates.
Massive sulphide veinlets account for around 12% of the intersection.
The lowermost intrusion is less mineralised but also hosts a zone with stringer and vein mineralisation from 457.98 metres to 471.33 metres.
The upper mineralised zones visually correlate to those intersected in the first two drill holes while the lowest zone is a newly-identified additional zone. Identify
Orion detected five horizons with stringer-style mineralisation and moderate to high tenor, which have been injected into non or poorly-mineralised silicates.
This indicates a magma conduit in which the sulphide liquid was being actively injected into lithified or partially lithified host stratigraphy over about 1.25 kilometres.
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Geochemical assay data from OROD002 has been received and correlates with the three mineralised zones previously intersected by OROD001, with the metal tenors and individual ratios consistent between the holes.
Orion considers the occurrence of vein and stringer-style mineralisation over the known extent of the intrusion to be significant.
Most massive sulphide ore deposits are characterised by magma chamber dynamics that cause repeated mineralising events within a constrained locality.
Data from OROD003 is being modelled to test for better-developed mineralisation in off-hole conductors in proximity to the drill hole.
The company will resume drilling at Rok Optel once all pending analytical and geophysical results have been received and evaluated.