Galileo Mining Ltd (ASX: GAL) has unveiled a range of drill targets for the company’s upcoming campaign at the Fraser Range project in Western Australia.
The company is making final preparation to test the new targets with a drill contractor expected to commence work in February.
Galileo’s previous drilling at the Empire Rose prospect in 2018 and 2019 showed anomalous nickel and gold results. A review of results has revealed untested targets down dip of aircore drilling as well as along strike of prospective mafic and ultramafic intrusive rocks.
Managing Director, Brad Underwood, said the new targets generated by the review are the subject of the upcoming drill campaign.
The Empire Rose prospect is located at the southern end of the Fraser Range and is just 30km from IGO’s operating Nova nickel mine in a highly prospective section of the mineral belt.
We continue to develop and test a suite of high-quality prospects at both our Fraser Range and Norseman projects,” Mr Underwood said.
“At our Empire Rose prospect, which is just 30km from the Nova mine site, we have a combination of geological and geophysical targets ready for drill testing. The RC drill campaign is set to begin shortly with the contracted drill rig currently completing work for another company in the Fraser Range area.
“We are looking forward to the start of our first drill campaign of the year and anticipate having preliminary geological results approximately two weeks after the commencement of drilling. A market update will be provided at that time and full assay results are expected to be returned from the laboratory in April/May 2022.”
Five targets are planned for testing in the imminent drill campaign. Two targets are related to geological positions developed from aircore drilling and the remaining three targets have been established through a combination of EM surveying and magnetic interpretation.
The best nickel result from aircore drilling was 36m @ 0.2 % nickel in saprolite (ERAC015).
An RC drill hole has been planned to test beneath ERAC015 to assess the potential for disseminated nickel sulphides in the large and strike extensive sill.
Aircore drilling also identified a pyroxenite sill with petrographical work showing the rock to most likely be of cumulate origin.
The presence of minor pyrrhotite in the petrographic sample also suggests the possibility for this unit to contain disseminated mineralisation in fresh rock at depth. An RC drill hole has been designed to drill beneath the aircore intersection to test the pyroxenite unit for nickel sulphide fertility.
Three targets adjacent to a large magnetic anomaly have been defined utilising EM data in conjunction with magnetic and geological interpretation. The EM targets are moderately to weakly conductive models that may represent accumulations of disseminated to semi-massive sulphides.
Diamond drilling in 2019 showed that previously tested EM anomalies in the area were related to sulphide mineralisation with minor gold anomalism. Geological review of all available data suggests that the targets currently been considered may be caused by sulphide mineralisation however EM anomalies can result from a variety of sources including non-economic sulphides, graphite, or sulphidic sediments.
The initial programme includes a single drill hole into each of these target zones with follow up drilling as required.
Multi-element assaying, petrographical analysis, and down hole EM surveying will be undertaken upon the completion of drilling. Laboratory assays are expected to be received in April/May as the continued high demand for laboratory services results in longer than standard turnaround times.
