Cassini Resources Ltd (ASX:CZI) has secured an option to acquire the Yarawindah Brook nickel-copper-cobalt project in Western Australia.
With the West Musgrave Joint Venture with OZ Minerals Limited (ASX:OZL) proceeding to Stage 2 of the earn-in, Cassini is recommencing activities at its 100% owned exploration projects, including opportunities to add to the project portfolio.
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The company’s strategy is to add significant value to these projects through modest expenditure whilst maintaining its core focus on the development and exploration of the West Musgrave Project.
Encouraging results from historical drilling
Yarawindah Brook is located 130 kilometres northeast of Perth, in agricultural land near the township of New Norcia.
The project has had only limited nickel, copper and cobalt exploration despite a favourable regional setting, prospective geology and near-surface occurrences of nickel and copper.
Historical exploration has focussed primarily on a small platinum and palladium (PGE’s) resource which Cassini views as a “path-finder” anomaly for massive nickel-copper-cobalt sulphides.
Drilling in 2007 returned encouraging results including 7 metres at 1.30% nickel, 0.22% copper and 0.06% cobalt from 74 metres.
Electromagnetic conductors associated with magmatic sulphides
Cassini has compiled all previous drilling as well as numerous geophysical surveys into a consolidated database.
Re-modelling of this data has shown that a number of electromagnetic conductors have not been tested by previous drilling, with a number of holes either not hitting or only intersecting the margins of the conductor.
To date, all conductors have proven to be associated with magmatic sulphides.
Nickel-copper system similar to West Musgrave Project
The initial work program will include an airborne electromagnetic survey to expand the coverage over the entire mafic-ultramafic intrusive and to test down dip, beyond the depth of the previous electromagnetic system.
An aircraft is currently being sourced to conduct the survey as soon as possible.
A drilling program is intended to follow to test new and existing conductors in the second half of the year.
Cassini views the project as an excellent opportunity to apply its geological expertise and learnings in nickel-copper systems from the West Musgrave Project to an apparently similar mineralised system with only limited modern exploration.