Estrella Resources Limited (ASX: ESR) has intersected 12.25m of sulphides, including massive nickel-copper-iron sulphide, further confirming mineralised accumulations on the T5 basal contact at the company’s Carr Boyd project, located ~80km north of Kalgoorlie.
Hole CBDD049A was the second diamond tail drilled by DDSR Rig 2 into a position below the recently announced diamond drill hole CBD0048 which intersected 12.9m of nickel-copper-iron sulphides and is 40m south of the discovery drill hole CBDD030.
CBDD049A intersected massive, globular, stringer and disseminated sulphides just above the footwall basalt contact.
The mineralisation is open north, south and at depth with a large part of the conductor plate yet to be tested and further, new deeper conductors which are believed to represent sulphide accumulations remain to be drilled.
Managing Director, Chris Daws, said that crucially, the identification of globular textures in the core indicates the local remobilisation of the topmost layers of a massive sulphide accumulation. They are very important in identifying the direction of the magma flow, which further assists in targeting additional mineralised zones.
Sulphide globules will often be redeposited as basal massive sulphides a short way “down-stream” and thus, with other holes in the area, can be used to vector into additional, undiscovered sulphides accumulations within the T5 pyroxenite.
Detailed geological logging will commence immediately to refine the current vectoring model to support further Phase 3 drilling and Phase 4 planning.
Mr Daws, said the intersection is significant as the Company follows the T5 Conductor both south and north from the discovery drill hole CBDD030. CBDD049A is the second of several holes planned to intersect the basal contact in this area as previously disclosed. RC precollars for holes CBDD050, CBDD051 and CBDD052 have been drilled and are to be diamond tailed.
“The discovery of further massive sulphide accumulations on a basal contact position is very important to developing Carr Boyd as a significant nickel-copper sulphide project,” he said.
“Our exploration model is continually being refined, and vectoring in towards further massive sulphide discoveries remains our immediate focus. Our drilling hit rate is increasing with our knowledge and our team should be commended for their efforts.
“We have not lost sight of the fact that T5 is only one area in a much larger magmatic system, and that other trap-sites for nickel-copper sulphides have historically been identified within the Carr Boyd Intrusive Complex. We will be pressing on with exploration of all these areas in due course.”
The company currently has two diamond drill rigs testing the extents of the T5 mineralisation during Phase 3 of exploration.
Phase 4, currently being planned, will extend drill and DHEM coverage north along an extensive and untested basal contact and also south to assist in the Company’s strategy of uncovering the relationship between the T5 mineralisation and the Carr Boyd Mine 1km to the southeast (previously mined by WMC and now owned 100% by the company).
Phase 4 will incorporate seismic survey results currently being interpreted by Australia’s leading seismic geologist, Graeme Hird.