ASX- and JSE-listed Orion Minerals’ joint venture (JV) partner Independence Group (IGO) has started diamond drilling to test several highly prospective intrusive nickel/copper and volcanic massive sulphide (VMS) copper/zinc targets in Western Australia.
The drill target at the North West Passage prospect, in the Fraser Range Belt, was initially identified by Orion in 2014.
Since then, IGO had commissioned a five-line moving loop electromagnetic survey across the prospect in 2017.
Modelling of the data from this survey highlighted a steeply-dipping conductor, which is being targeted by current drilling.
The drilling forms part of a larger exploration programme across the northern part of the Fraser Range Belt and IGO expects that, following drilling at North West Passage, drilling will move to the highly prospective Pike Trend, later in the year.
The Pike Trend comprises three distinct prospects called Pike, Pike-eye and Hook, all of which are prospective for nickel/copper intrusive and VMS copper/zinc mineralisation.
Orion said in a statement on Monday that the mineralisation in the Fraser Range Belt was analogous to the Areachap Belt, in South Africa, where Orion drilled several massive sulphide interceptions in 2018, in developing the Prieska copper/zinc project.
“Through our Fraser Range JV with IGO, we have free-carried exposure to a first-class exploration programme being undertaken by IGO in one of Australia’s most prospective new mineral frontiers.”