ASX listed base metals explorer St George Mining has generated five new, high priority, conductive exploration targets, following the interpretation of a ground-based geophysical survey program recently conducted at its Mt Alexander project near Leonora in WA.
The new drill targets on the mineralised Cathedrals Belt look compelling, with areas located at the easternmost Bullets prospect and westernmost West End prospect virtually unexplored.
The strongest conductive response located at the West End prospect is 300 metres wide and just a stone’s throw from the regionally significant Ida Fault, which St George strongly suspects is the source of the nickel-copper-cobalt-PGM mineralisation it has located in spades at Mt Alexander.
There are also two very strong responses in the northern section of the Investigators prospect, which are located favourably down-dip and along strike just west and east of that defined base metal ore system.
Importantly, the newly defined targets are well-supported and corroborated by three separate geophysical surveys at Mt Alexander, along with the company’s own extensive drilling data sets throughout the region.
According to management, an extensive drilling programme will commence on the exploratory targets, once all approvals are in place.
St George Mining Executive Chairman John Prineas said: “The new target areas are located along strike or down-dip of high-grade nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation already discovered at the highly mineralised Cathedrals Belt and are supported by three separate geophysical surveys.”
“The new conductive target adjacent to the Ida Fault is particularly exciting. This area has never been drilled and we look forward to drilling this large target soon.”
“We are also very enthusiastic about the new conductive anomalies to the north of Investigators as our geological model for the Cathedrals Belt supports the scope for continuity of high-grade mineralisation either at depth in the northerly down-dip direction or through the repetition of the mineralised ultramafic in the north.”
“These are compelling targets for the potential discovery of further nickel-copper sulphides which could significantly expand the footprint of high-grade mineralisation at Mt Alexander.”
To date, the company has defined narrow, high-grade massive and disseminated nickel and copper sulphide mineralisation across 4.5km of strike at Mt Alexander, with the Investigators, Stricklands and Cathedrals prospects all showing tantalising assays very close to the surface.
The new targets at the West End and Bullets prospects are intriguing and if proven up, would extend the mineralised footprint to 8km of prospective strike.
Based on the success of the current ground-based geophysical program in identifying new drill positions, the sub-audio magnetic surveys will now be extended a further 6km to the east towards the Fish Hook prospect, to seek out additional conductive anomalies.
Drilling of the new exploratory targets represents a major step-out from the existing drill programs over the last two years or so for St George, which have largely concentrated on proving up the strike and down-dip extensions of the delineated mineralisation.
The campaign will be keenly watched once it gets underway later this month.
By Matt Birney
