Galileo Mining Ltd (ASX: GAL) current and ongoing RC drilling programme has confirmed consistent high-grade palladium mineralisation at the at the Callisto palladium- platinum-gold-rhodium-copper-nickel discovery within the company’s 100% owned Norseman project in Western Australia.
Today’s results again confirm the extensive nature of palladium and associated metals at the Callisto discovery,” Managing Director, Brad Underwood, said.
“Assay results from a further four drill holes each returned consistent palladium grades over greater than 20 metre thickness with every palladium zone accompanied by platinum, gold, copper, and nickel.
“We are also seeing copper and nickel zones in NRC299 above 0.6% and 0.5% respectively. This is a great sign for the potential development of even higher-grade zones particularly where we have previously encountered massive sulphides.
“New mineral discoveries present a tremendous opportunity in the early stages of exploration and we believe Callisto is no exception.
“Drilling will provide us the data we need to understand the mineralisation and to trace out any high-grade zones along strike and at depth.
“We have a lot to learn about the overall mineralised system and the opportunities that may present themselves as we continue with our large-scale drill campaigns.”
Two rigs (one RC and one diamond drill) are continuing to drill at the Callisto discovery where Galileo recently made a major palladium-platinum-gold-copper-nickel discovery.
Subsequent assay results have shown the sulphide mineralisation at Callisto is accompanied by the high value precious metal rhodium.
Rhodium assaying of sulphide zones is progressing with a separate analytical technique used to quantify rhodium after the initial Pd-Pt-Au-Cu-Ni results.
Assays from the diamond core drill tails are currently pending along with multiple other drill holes. To date approximately 1,400 metres of diamond core drilling (all as drill tails) has been completed at Callisto.
Assay results for diamond core are dependent on laboratory turnaround times with current expectations that the first diamond core assays will be available in late September to October.
Approximately 8,600 metres of RC drilling has been undertaken since the current round of RC drilling began in August with the vast majority of assay results still outstanding.
Of note is the development of a new “seam” of PGE-Cu-Ni within the ultramafic rock above the lower zone. This mineralisation is consistent between drill holes at a 0.5 g/t 3E cut-off and peaks at 8m @ 1.39 g/t 3E in NRC303 where it dips shallowly to the east. The significance of this particular new zone will depend on the assay results from down-dip drill holes (NRC304, NRC305, NRC306).
However, as a generalisation, the observation of new and distinct mineralised units within the large ultramafic sill is a positive development for the prospectivity of the overall five-kilometre-long host rock target zone. This is because the host rock is demonstrating that it can accommodate multiple mineralised units adjacent to, and at some distance from, the underlying sedimentary rock unit.