St George Mining Ltd (ASX:SGQ) has started a reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at Fish Hook prospect to test nickel-copper sulphide targets at Mt Alexander Project in the north-eastern Goldfields of Western Australia.
This marks the first-ever drilling at Fish Hook with targets including a large nickel-copper soil anomaly as well as coincident electromagnetic (EM) and magnetic anomalies.
“Breakthrough in exploration”
Executive chairman John Prineas said: “The shallow deposits discovered to date confirm that the mineral system at the Cathedrals Belt hosts outstanding mineralisation with high grades of nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group metals.
“The MT survey completed this year has confirmed the presence of conductive features beyond the current extent of drilling.
“This new data is a significant breakthrough in exploration at Mt Alexander and has provided a blueprint to the structural framework of the mineral system that will guide our drilling of the deeper targets.”
Multi-rig drill program
This multi-rig drill program comprises approximately 13,000 metres of diamond and reverse circulation (RC) drilling across a range of nickel-copper sulphide targets.
Diamond drilling will focus on testing new conductive features identified by the magnetotelluric (MT) and audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) surveys completed earlier this year.
RC drilling will focus on testing shallow targets at the Fish Hook and West End prospects, as well as completing the resource definition drilling at the high-grade Stricklands deposit.
Fish Hook maiden drilling
Six RC drill holes are initially planned for Fish Hook, with an average depth of 150 metres each.
The planned holes will be drilled to the south, designed to intersect the potential ultramafic stratigraphy that in other parts of the Cathedrals Belt is known to dip to the north.
Fish Hook prospect occurs within the interpreted 8,000-metre eastern extension of the Cathedrals Belt and is within Exploration Licence 29/954, which is owned 100% by St George.
With a high-order soil anomaly coupled with EM anomalism and interpreted ultramafic intrusives, Prineas said the drilling at Fish Hook had the potential to deliver another greenfields nickel sulphide discovery.
Resource definition drilling
Resource definition drilling of the shallow, high-grade deposit at Stricklands will also be undertaken.
Once determined, the resource will be used in the scoping study for a low-cost starter mine at Mt Alexander.