Legend Mining has highlighted two significant nickel-copper sulphide targets ready for diamond drilling at its Octagonal prospect in Western Australia’s Fraser Range after analysis of 3D seismic and additional data sets.
Octagonal forms part of the company’s Rockford project and sits within the same structural corridor as IGO’s Nova-Bollinger deposit. Target generation, design and ranking has been completed at the prospect for this year’s diamond drilling campaign that will focus on the two identified targets.
Legend says the depth of the extensive Octagonal Intrusive Complex keeps it hidden from surface electromagnetic survey below 500m. Both proposed diamond drillholes have a nominal planned depth of 1000m, with seismic data a key tool in refining drill targets at depth.
The company believes data processing results support its exploration model that suggests the intrusive complex continues below previously completed drilling.
Legend Mining managing director Mark Wilson said: “Both these target areas have multiple data sets supporting the potential for significant nickel copper sulphide accumulations and the Legend team are looking forward to the rods turning in a few weeks’ time. They both qualify as the most exciting diamond drill targets the team have seen at our Rockford project since Legend started in the Fraser Range in 2015.”
Rockford covers more than 3000 square kilometres within the celebrated Fraser Range, about 250km east of Kalgoorlie. The region came to prominence almost a decade ago on the back of the game-changing Nova-Bollinger nickel, copper and platinum discovery.
IGO’s Nova deposit is forecast to push out about 23,000 tonnes of nickel, about 10,000 tonnes of copper and 900 tonnes of cobalt in a year.
Legend’s decision to conduct the seismic survey at Octagonal came from the success the company had in drilling seismic targets at its Mawson deposit.
In February, it declared a maiden nickel-copper-cobalt resource at Mawson and believes it still has plenty of room to grow. Management says it could be comparable to about a year’s worth of the production from its heavyweight Fraser Range neighbour IGO’s Nova discovery.
A maiden diamond drilling program by Legend at the Octagonal prospect last year hit a broad zone of blebby and semi-massive nickel-copper sulphides. Previous RC and diamond drilling by Creasy Group intersected multiple intervals of massive, semi-massive and disseminated sulphides associated with the intrusive. The company believes the mineralisation identified so far demonstrates all the characteristics of a fertile magmatic nickel-copper sulphide system.
Legend recently received a refund from the Australian Taxation Office to the tune of $2.93 million, including a research and development claim that was used to cover the cost of the recent 3D seismic survey of Octagonal.
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By Michael Philipps
