St George Mining has identified new priority nickel-copper-PGE targets at its flagship high-grade Mt Alexander project near Menzies in Western Australia. A Seismic survey has indicated large intrusion structures prospective for nickel sulphides have the potential to host significant volumes of mineralisation.
The company has announced drilling is now underway on the first of five targets with management saying existing high-grade nickel-copper-PGE deposits at Stricklands and Cathedrals in the Cathedrals Belt will be the subject of resource definition to assess the potential for a starter mine. Four of the targets are located on ground 100 per cent owned by St George.
The seismic survey has revealed an extensive network of cross-cutting structures that are prospective for mineralised intrusions. Four additional parallel structural belts have been located either side of the known mineralisation in the Cathedrals Belt and the company expects that mineralisation to repeat.
The seismic surveys to date cover only 3 kilometres of the more than 15km of strike length for the mineralised belts. St George interpret the structures as continuing beyond the seismic survey area in line with magnetic survey data suggesting there may be plenty to get excited about as the project develops.
The shallowest new sulphide target is at 210 metres and the deepest 475m below surface. The new targets have seismic reflection properties consistent with the known massive sulphide mineralisation in the Cathedrals Belt adding further spice to the results.
St George said the seismic data highlighted a north dipping, Transits Belt and Cathedrals Belt structure converging at more than 1,000m below the surface. It said the data indicated there could be a much larger structure beneath which would have been a primary conduit through which intrusive rocks and nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation travelled to the surface suggesting the system may host significant volumes of mineralisation.
The company also compared the gabbronorite and leuco-norite mineralisation host rocks with the other major intrusive nickel sulphide deposits in WA including Nova-Bollinger, Savannah and Nebo-Babel. Intriguingly, St George have highlighted the combination of high-grade nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group metals has not been found anywhere else in Australia.
Research by St George and CSIRO further supports the interpretation of a large intrusive system with multiple magma pulses and a deep extensive plumbing system that has the potential to host large mineral deposits.
St George has a strong geological team that has considerable local nickel sulphide experience with WMC and Western Areas.The Mount Alexander project consists of seven granted exploration licences. The Cathedrals, Investigator and Radar discoveries in E29/638 are held 75 per cent by St George Mining and 25 per cent by Western Areas, which has a non-contributing clause attached until a decision to mine is made. All six of the remaining exploration licences are held 100 per cent by St George.
With the addition of new priority targets and the discovery of several parallel mineralised belts, St George is turbo-charging its push for a new nickel-copper-PGE mining operation in Western Australia.
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By Matt Birney
