Bryah Resources Ltd (ASX:BYH) has made new a nickel-copper-cobalt discovery after assessing results from recently completed reverse circulation (RC) drilling at Mount Labouchere prospect within the Bryah Basin.
The shallow drilling comprising 16 holes for 256 metres has returned up to 4 metres at 0.22% nickel, 0.38% copper and 0.28% cobalt from 10 metres.
Mount Labouchere prospect is within the company’s Bryah Basin Project, around 150 kilometres north of Meekatharra in central Western Australia.
Results “highly significant”
Bryah managing director Neil Marston said: “The discovery of nickel-copper-cobalt mineralisation in shallow drilling at Mount Labouchere is a very exciting development for the company.
“This prospect area was drilled to test for manganese that occurs at the surface. Generally, only low-grade manganese mineralisation was intersected in the drilling.
“However, the nickel-copper-cobalt assay results are considered highly significant, as they appear in several drill holes with the low-grade manganese.”
Mt Labouchere is 15 kilometres north of the Fortnum gold mine operated by Westgold Resources Limited (ASX:WGX) and 65 kilometres south of the Abra lead-silver-copper-gold deposit being developed by Galena Mining Limited (ASX:G1A).
In May 2020, the RC program was completed as part of manganese exploration under the Bryah Basin Manganese Joint Venture with OM (Manganese) Limited, a subsidiary of OM Holdings Limited (ASX:OMH).
Copper and cobalt anomalism
Samples assayed during that program showed anomalism in copper and cobalt, which prompted further investigation by the company.
The JV only applies to manganese with Bryah retaining 100% of all other minerals.
Best results from an additional round of laboratory analysis of the 1-metre samples from this drilling include:
- 10 metres at 0.13% nickel, 0.21% copper and 0.17% cobalt from 4 metres, including 4 metres at 0.22% nickel, 0.38% copper and 0.28% cobalt from 10 metres;
- 5 metres at 0.24 % copper, 0.2% cobalt and 0.12% nickel from 8 metres to the end-of-hole; and
- 9 metres at 0.14% copper, 0.02% cobalt and 0.02% nickel from 13 metres.
Assay results have also identified up to 59 parts per billion (ppb) gold and 470ppb silver.
Follow-up activities
The company is moving quickly to advance its understanding of the prospect.
Bryah has recently undertaken an orientation soil sampling survey to establish the extent of this anomaly before follow-up exploration.
Soil samples are at a laboratory for gold and multi-element analysis and the results are expected next month.
Marston said: “The presence of the low-grade manganese with the nickel-copper-cobalt suggests the mineralisation may have been deposited from hydrothermal fluid flows.
“We will need to test this theory with our future exploration.
“We have completed an orientation soil sampling program aimed at testing whether the anomaly shows up before embarking on a wider exploration program.”
Exploring further drilling
The company is undertaking a geophysical data review to assist in the geological interpretation and in establishing if higher resolution surveys, either airborne or ground-based, are needed before follow-up deeper drilling.
Mineralogy of higher-grade intersections is also being considered to understand the minerals associated with the elevated base metal values, which may help in understanding the enrichment geological model.
The MD added: “We are also revisiting all the available geophysical data to see if we can establish what is occurring under the shallow transported cover, which is widespread in this area.
“It is possible we’ll do some additional geophysics to identify structural controls on mineralisation ahead of further exploration drilling.”
