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White Cliff Minerals discovers 550-metre wide cobalt zone at Coronation Dam

Published: 09:08 25 Jul 2018 AEST

Cobalt is Co on table of elements
White Cliff is targeting battery metals at its prospects in Western Australia

White Cliff Minerals Ltd (ASX:WCN) has discovered a 550-metre wide zone of cobalt mineralisation at its Coronation Dam project, 90 kilometres from the Murrin Murrin Nickel Refinery in Western Australia.

Initial drilling results show that this zone is up to 40 metres thick and extends from the surface up to a depth of 65 metres.

The results are from one of the first cross-sections drilled in the central part of the deposit to confirm historical drilling results at the project in the north-eastern Goldfields.

 

White Cliff managing director Todd Hibberd said: “Initial assays at Coronation Dam validate the historical drilling and demonstrate the high-grade nature of the mineralisation.

“We were surprised at the 550 metres wide zone of cobalt mineralisation and at the thickness of some of the intervals which are better than anticipated.

“Further assay results should be available shortly and on receipt of the final drilling results the company will be in a position to select samples for metallurgical testing.”

READ: White Cliff Minerals identifies thick cobalt and nickel intervals at Coronation Dam

- 40 metres at 0.11% cobalt and 1.04% nickel from 16 metres including 15 metres at 0.20% cobalt and 1.1% nickel from 29 metres;

- 20 metres at 0.27% cobalt and 0.66% nickel from 28 metres including 1 metre at 0.95% cobalt and 0.97% nickel from 31 metres and 1 metre at 0.63% cobalt and 0.70% nickel from 35 metres;

- 12 metres at 0.06% cobalt at 0.93% nickel from 8 metres; and

- 12 metres at 0.05% cobalt and 0.85% nickel from 36 metres.

Once all assay results have been received the company will undertake metallurgical testing to further advance development of the project.

Further assay results imminent

The company expects further results within two weeks.

Geologically the mineralisation occurs in extremely weathered clays derived from the underlying ultramafic rocks.

Host rocks are rich in nickel with a background concentration of around 0.2% nickel.

The deposit occurs on the side of a low hill and dips shallowly to the West.

White Cliff’s suite of battery metals projects in the north-eastern Goldfields.

White Cliff’s interpretation is that additional ultramafic rock has weathered and shed from the hill, and been incorporated in the deposit increasing the thickness of mineralisation.

Cobalt and nickel mineralisation varies from hole to hole, which reflects the variable composition and layering of the underlying ultramafic unit.

READ: White Cliff Minerals drills out more cobalt, nickel and copper at Coglia Well

As well as being near Murrin Murrin, the 16 square kilometre Coronation Dam project is 45 kilometres from GME Resources Limited’s (ASX:GME) proposed Mt Kilkenny nickel-cobalt processing facility.

Glencore PLC (LON:GLEN) is mining cobalt and nickel from the Murrin East open pit which contained an initial resource of 66 million tonnes at 1.1% nickel and 0.09% cobalt.

The proximity of Coronation Dam to the Murrin Murrin refinery is likely to have a strong, positive impact on the possibility of economic development of the cobalt and nickel mineralisation.

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