Tempest Minerals Ltd (ASX:TEM) has received positive results from Down Hole Electromagnetic (DHEM) Survey at the Orion WARDH72 and WARDH73 drill holes within the Meleya Project in Western Australia.
Remaining assays for the project have also been received with thick highly anomalous zones identified. In line with previous observations in core logging, multiple highly mineralised zones are observable in assay and EM surveys.
Management says this strongly supports an exploration model that sulphide mineralisation is detectable and that specific target horizons can host mineralisation. The definition of these target horizons will help prioritise further precious and base metal drill targeting across the belt.
Background
The Meleya Project is part of Tempest Minerals’ flagship Yalgoo Portfolio that extends over a footprint of more than 900 sq. km.
Tempest has for some time considered the target zones at Meleya to represent one of the most exciting greenfields base and precious metal upside exploration opportunities in the industry today.
In 2019, the TEM technical team noted discordant geophysical signatures which did not correlate with existing geological maps of the region. In 2020/21, interpretations, based on extensive fieldwork, resulted in the identification of more than 50 km of strike length of a previously unrecognised and unexplored segment of the Yalgoo Greenstone Belt which currently hosts a number of world class mines.
In March 2022, TEM commenced state government co-funded (EIS) four drilling of the first two drill holes for the purpose of establishing stratigraphic controls over the new geological province. Both drill holes, totalling some 1,730.5m in the Orion Target, encountered multiple zones of visual mineralisation.
Significantly, this program revealed the presence of multiple mineralisation styles across multiple geologic settings, presently considered to be consistent with volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) and intrusion-related mineral systems.
Results
The DHEM surveys from holes WARDH72 and WARDH73 have defined upper and lower zones of elevated magnetite and sulphides (pyrite/pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite). These two zones coincide well with interpreted stratigraphic boundaries from geology logs.
The upper electromagnetic response in both holes is confirmed as a zone of primarily banded magnetite and disseminated sulphides (consistent with geology logs) while the lower zone is more likely to be a response from more copper and iron sulphides.
Similarly, hydrothermal magnetite and Cu-Au ore zones have a similar relationship at the Golden Grove VMS deposit 8 occurring along strike in a similar stratigraphic horizon; this confirmation elevates the prospectivity of the Meleya Belt.
For the lower zone, geology logging has indicated that the stratigraphic horizons have modelled a subvertical copper sulphide zone, which can be traced up-dip to surface positions. This prospective stratigraphic position will be tested along strike by imminent near surface drill programmes.
The DHEM surveys have significantly elevated the prospectivity and advanced our understanding of mineralisation and results reported here can be used to prioritise near-term drilling campaigns
