Auroch Minerals starts diamond drilling high-priority magnetic targets at Leinster Nickel Project

Auroch Minerals Ltd (ASX:AOU) (FRA:T59) has started diamond drilling to test high priority magnetic targets at the Leinster Nickel Project in Western Australia. The drill program will begin with four diamond drill-holes directly along strike from shallow high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation returned at the Horn prospect. Following these diamond holes, the company will start reverse circulation (RC) drilling to further test the strike potential along from the Horn, as well as some of the more-advanced regional targets across the Leinster tenure. “Excited to be back on the ground” Auroch managing director Aidan Platel said: “We are excited to be back on the ground at Leinster and drilling such high-potential exploration targets. “Our drilling last year confirmed thick high-grade nickel and copper sulphide mineralisation at very shallow depths at the Horn Prospect, but importantly it also showed how well this mineralisation is ‘mapped’ by the aeromagnetic anomaly there.” Drilling program The combined drill program comprises around 1,200 metres of diamond drilling and 1,800 metres of RC drilling. This follows the company’s successful diamond drill program at the Horn in late 2020, which intersected thick high-grade nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation at shallow depths. Best results include: 7.30 metres at 2.20% nickel & 0.53% copper from 143 metres; and 4.09 metres at 2.40% nickel & 0.61% copper from 119.91metres. High-grade nickel-sulphide mineralisation A detailed review of the project’s geochemistry and geophysics identified that the high-grade nickel-sulphide mineralisation at the Horn was strongly coincident with an aeromagnetic anomaly. The highest priority of these aeromagnetic target areas is the magnetic anomaly directly northwest of the Horn. This target has been named the Woodwind Prospect and the company has planned three diamond holes and a further eight RC holes to test this prospect’s potential to host nickel sulphide mineralisation. Platel said: “We have very similar aeromagnetic anomalies along strike to the northwest of the Horn which basically have never been drilled, so we are eager to test these anomalies and see if the relationship between the aeromagnetic highs and the nickel sulphide mineralisation continues along strike.” Nepean drilling update Meanwhile, the company has completed drilling at the Nepean Nickel Project after 32 holes for 3,397 metres testing shallow targets near the historic high-grade Nepean nickel mine and regional aeromagnetic targets along strike. All samples have been delivered to the laboratory and DHEM surveys are underway. Results from this program will be modelled and used to define targets for the next phase of drilling at Nepean. Platel said: “Our maiden RC program at Nepean has been completed, which tested both near-mine shallow drill targets as well as more regional greenfields targets along the full 10 kilometres of prospective strike. “We are awaiting assay and DHEM results which we expect to receive over the coming weeks.”