Nickel North Exploration Corp (TSX-V:NNX) revealed that it has completed the XRF testing on the 381 soil samples from its 2022 field work, which has allowed the company to confirm and expand previously-defined nickel-copper and platinum-group elements (PGE) mineralized zones at its Hawk Ridge project in northern Québec.
The Vancouver, British Columbia-based exploration company said the soil sampling program covered the five previously-defined mineralization targets involving an area of approximately 25 square kilometers.
Nickel North said the XRF testing on the soil samples not only confirms and expands the previously-defined nickel-copper and PGE mineralization targeting areas but has identified two new strong cobalt anomalies in the Lucille Zone and Falco 7 Zone.
The company added that it will further study the soil samples by ICP-MS in certified assay labs and will integrate this with other rock sample data and model the data sets to generate more drilling or exploration targets.
In a statement, Nickel North CEO Dr Tony Guo said: "We are pleased to have completed the XRF testing on the soil samples from 2022 field work which allowed us to confirm and expand five previously defined nickel-copper sulfide mineralized zones.”
He added: “High-grade strong Cobalt (Co) in soil anomalies discovered at Lucille and Falco 7 targets areas together with other associated geological features show the high potential for the high-grade sulfide mineralization in these two targets.”
Dr Guo noted that the firm will add all the information to the firm’s conceptual geological and mineralization models to “develop priority exploration and drill targets for the 2023 season."
The company highlighted the following:
- A total of 381 soil samples were tested by a handheld XRF analyzer by a certified operator.
- Strong nickel-copper in soil anomalies were confirmed in all five previously-defined mineralization targets area. Nickel (Ni) in soil anomalies is up to 1,731 parts per million (ppm) or 0.17% Ni from soil sample 789,542 at the area between Hope Advance Main and Hope Advance North zones. Copper (Cu) in soil anomalies is up to 10,429 ppm, or 1.05% Cu from soil sample 789,388 at undrilled high-grade strong sulfide mineralized target area in Falco 7 zone.
- Strong Co in soil anomalies have discovered in the mineralization targets areas including Falco 7, Lucille and Hope Advance. Copper in soil anomalies is up to 570 to 1,669 ppm (or 0.057% to 0.17% Co) from soil samples 514,334, 514,335, 514,337 at Lucille zone area.
- A high-grade massive sulfide area up to 100m by 200m at Falco 7 zone northwest with strong Ni-Cu in soil anomalies, next to strong Co in soil anomalies area has not been drilled previously, which may be related to the mafic-ultramafic intrusion center and need more exploration work in next exploration program.
- Very strong and high-grade Co in soil anomalies at the Lucille zone area in the south section of Hawk Ridge may be associated to the volcanogenic pyrite or pyrrhotite and will be the priority target to work in the 2023 season.
The Hawk Ridge project consists of a 50 km-long belt of strong magmatic Cu-Ni-Co-PGE occurrences covering 179.67 square kilometres, according to the company.
Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com
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