Galileo Mining Ltd (ASX:GAL) has commenced an exploration programme with field work at its 100% owned Norseman project located within the Kambalda nickel belt of Western Australia.
Soil sampling targeting palladium and nickel is underway with over 500 samples collected from an 1,800-sample programme. The initial samples cover a highly prospective area at the Mission Sill prospect between two zones with maximum palladium in soil values of 0.31g/t Pd and 0.16g/t Pd.
This first batch of samples is now at the laboratory with assays pending. The remaining samples cover additional areas at the project with potential for nickel sulphide and other metals.
A 10,000m aircore drilling programme is planned to follow up existing palladium and nickel targets with the present sampling expected to generate further targets for testing in the same drill campaign.
Managing Director, Brad Underwood, said RC and/or diamond drilling will be undertaken after the completion of aircore drilling. RC/diamond drilling will also test down dip and along strike of Galileo’s mineralised drill results including palladium intersections such as:
- 27 metres @ 0.58 g/t Pd, 0.12 g/t Pt, 0.13 % Cu & 0.18% Ni (MTRC096) including 3.0 metres @ 1.1 g/t Pd, 0.19 g/t Pt, 0.23% Cu & 0.26% Ni; and
- 24 metres @ 0.51 g/t Pd, 0.08 g/t Pt, 0.10 % Cu & 0.15% Ni (MTRC086)
While we wait for a diamond drill rig to become available to test our Delta Blues nickel prospect in the Fraser Range, we continue to build our portfolio of prospects focussed on the metals needed for a sustainable future,” Mr Underwood said.
“At Norseman we have numerous palladium drill intersections that demonstrate the outstanding potential within the area. The best one metre intercept from RC drilling assayed over 4.0 g/t palladium while thicker intercepts up to 27 metres width averaged 0.58 g/t palladium with associated platinum, copper, and nickel.2
“The current soil sampling programme covers an area between and along strike of two palladium zones identified in sampling conducted in 2020. We expect that the results will provide us with more new targets for our scheduled 10,000m aircore drilling program, as well as subsequent RC/diamond drilling. Assay results from soil sampling are expected in late August with aircore drilling anticipated to begin in September/October.”
Drilling completed in 2016 by Galileo beneath the cobalt-nickel laterite resource at Mt Thirsty intersected a previously unrecognised zone of sulphide containing highly anomalous levels of palladium, platinum, copper, and nickel.
The contact between the intruding sill and the flat lying stratigraphy is the prospective target zone with potential for higher grade mineralisation. The grade within the sulphide zone increases towards the east, supporting the interpretation that increased mineralisation occurs within the target zone. There is no record of any historic exploration for palladium/platinum along this blind, undercover, contact position at Mt Thirsty.
