Legend Mining Ltd (ASX:LEG) continues to make strong exploration progress at Rockford Project in Western Australia's Fraser Range, with the latest aircore drilling and innovative electromagnetic survey identifying new fertile nickel-copper intrusions and bedrock conductors.
The company is also forging ahead with a 3D seismic survey to define the architecture of the Octagonal Intrusive Complex, with data collection scheduled to begin next month.
A total of 161 aircore holes for 13,047 metres have been completed over selected areas within the greater Rockford Project this year, as part of an extensive 30,000-metre regional aircore program.
Drilling targeted a combination of aeromagnetic and gravity features with ultramafic and mafic intrusions over an area southwest and northeast of the lead Mawson project, which has so far only been tested with limited aircore drilling.
Legend has labelled the newly-identified areas as W, X and Y.
Aircore and EM activity.
Untapped potential
Legend managing director Mark Wilson said: “The latest results from our 2022 regional programs and interpretations detailed in the body of this announcement speak to the prospectivity and untapped potential of the entire Rockford Project area.
"This potential is further enhanced by the fact that two of the four publicly disclosed occurrences of massive nickel-copper in the Fraser Range, being Mawson and Octagonal, are within the Rockford project.
“Our technical team and consultants are currently reviewing results as they come to hand from this year’s diamond drilling at Mawson, which will ultimately lead to a new interpretation of the Mawson seismic data.
"The new Mawson model and the first seismic model from Octagonal promise exciting diamond drill targets at both locations in 2023.”
Fertile targets
First pass aircore drilling targeting a folded eye-like feature intersected anomalous nickel and copper associated with olivine-bearing websterite in multiple drill holes within a regional metasedimentary package.
RKAC1566 returned an encouraging 12 metres at 0.1% nickel and 0.09% copper from 58 metres in a favourable ultramafic host rock.
Three wide-spaced drill holes across the area display the key indicator elements associated with fertile nickel-copper intrusions while a follow-up fixed loop time domain electromagnetic (FLTEM) further identified a conductor plate with modelled parameters of about 300 x 300 metres in size at a depth of 600-650 metres.
Further evaluation of the conductor and anomalous aircore geochemistry is planned.
Over at X and Y, first pass aircore drilling was completed over areas 5-10 kilometres directly southwest of Mawson.
Drilling targeting a combination of aeromagnetic and gravity features intersected extensive ultramafic and mafic intrusives, including olivine websterite and gabbronorite which are visually similar to those hosted at Mawson.
Geochemistry supports the visual assessment and given the wide-spaced nature of first pass aircore, the results are encouraging as early indications suggest a potential cluster of newly-identified fertile nickel-copper intrusions.
Infill aircore drilling and high-power moving loop electromagnetic surveying are planned to further evaluate areas W, X, and Y.
What’s in store
Rockford prospect locations.
Legend has outlined the current program at Rockford as follows:
- aircore drilling over selected areas ongoing;
- data analysis ongoing identifying new and advancing existing areas; and
- octagonal 3D Seismic data acquisition scheduled for October 2022.