공시 • Dec 09
Nexus Minerals Limited Provides an Update on the Wallbrook Gold Project (Wallbrook) in the North-Eastern Goldfields Region of Western Australia
Nexus Minerals Limited provided an update on the Wallbrook Gold Project (Wallbrook) in the north-eastern goldfields region of Western Australia. In light of recent aircore drill success at Payns and Godfrey prospects, which provide potential for project scaling, the aircore drill rig has been booked for February as the regional exploration strategy to discover and build additional shallow gold ounces continues. Nexus has continued to de-risk the Crusader-Templar gold deposit through finalisation of key technical studies. Engagement with potential operational and toll treatment partners continues with multiple options being considered. Payns Prospect is situated 4km northwest of Nexus' Crusader-Templar gold deposit and 1km southeast of the Million Dollar Gold Mine (owned by Northern Star Resources). In an initial regional assessment, 60 drill holes were completed totaling 2,604 metres of drilling. Gold grades correlate with: Increased occurrence of quartz + goethite veining, Intensity of sericite + rutile + tourmaline + albite alteration - the regional gold signature, Very high grades noted in proximity to hematised felsic intrusives into the fresh rock. Mineralised intercepts display continuity whilst returning strong grades and widths, promising material scale potential. A total of 46 of the 4 metre composite and end of hole samples analysed returned a value greater than 0.40 g/t Au, the cut off used in the recent Crusader-Templar Mineral Resource Estimate (refer to ASX: NXM 1/5/2024). Highlight results include: 4m @ 6.85 g/t Au (within 16m @ 2.74 g/t Au) from 28 metres, 4m @ 7.12 g/t Au (within 20m @ 1.77 g/t Au) from 8 metres, 4m @ 6.59 g/t Au (within 8m @ 3.44 g/t Au) from 40 metres, 4m @ 5.02g/t Au (within 8m @ 2.60g/t Au) from 20 metres, 1m @ 5.99 g/t Au to EOH (within 8m @ 1.28 g/t Au) from 28 metres. Godfrey Prospect, is situated 600 metres east of the Crusader-Templar gold deposit and northeast of the Wallbrook Gold Mine (Northern Star Resources). A total of 97 drillholes for 3,375 metres were completed at the Godfrey Prospect in a first pass regional assessment. Drilling at Godfrey Prospect encountered fresh rock at an average of 32 metres downhole, with the geology comprising an intermediate volcanic/volcaniclastic host package intruded by quartz porphyry dykes. These quartz porphyry dykes increased in frequency on the eastern side of the drilled lines. Mineralisation is interpreted to trend northwest-southeast in two distinct zones that dip to the west. In the southern zone, mineralisation is associated with increased quartz veining in the oxide profile and is observed both at the surface and at the base of weathering. Mineralisation within the northern zone is concentrated at the base of weathering, with an increase in goethite and a sheared volcaniclastic unit with occasional sericite and rutile alteration. Anomalism in both zones is linked to hematite alteration and quartz porphyry intrusions. Mineralisation displays strong strike continuity across a considerable mineralised system some 1,200 x 100 metres in size. Highlight results include: 4m @ 4.02 g/t Au (within 15m @1.30g/t Au) from 24 metres, 4m @ 2.17 g/t Au (within 8m @1.33g/t Au) from 24 metres, 4m @ 3.81 g/t Au from 12 metres, 4m @ 2.78 g/t Au from 28 metres. Both mineralisation style and footprint scale at the Godfrey Prospect display distinct similarities to the Crusader-Templar gold deposit. Sufficient strike continuity has now been established to progress to RC drill testing as part of a future exploration campaign. Nexus has continued to de-risk the Crusader-Templar gold deposit through finalisation of key technical study components. Following the initial scoping study for Crusader-Templar (NXM: ASX 4/6/2024), discussions with potential operational and toll treatment partners have progressed, and will continue to be assessed. The Company continues to assess a number of opportunities to realise value from the existing resource inventory, which will continue as part of normal business operations. The metallurgical test work has provided accurate estimates for gravity recovery and plant recovery, along with critical information around ore chemistry, reagent consumption, comminution properties and rheology. Detail is provided below. Gold Recovery: Gravity recovery was higher in transitional and fresh ores compared to oxide ores. Leach extraction rates were high across material types, with total extractions ranging from 89.09% to 99.74% after 48 hours. Ore Chemistry: The ore exhibited low levels of common deleterious elements, such as arsenic, mercury, cadmium, tellurium, and antimony, as well as negligible organic carbon content, mitigating the risk of preg-robbing. Sulphide levels were low, except for the Crusader Fresh composite, which had a sulphide content of 0.24%. Reagent Consumption: Lime and cyanide consumption were minimal across all composites, despite the relatively poor-quality hypersaline process water used in the testwork, representative of the water typically found at processing plants in the district. Comminution Properties: The oxide and transitional ores were found to be very soft and nonabrasive, while the fresh ore was moderately hard and slightly abrasive, with all comminution indices falling within typical ore specifications. Rheological Testwork: The ore was found to be amenable to pumping and screening at percentage solids up to 50%. There is opportunity to process oxide and transitional ores discretely.