• Miramar analysis at Mt Vernon highlights disseminated nickel and copper sulphides
• Bangemall now confirmed as new nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE province in WA
• Province has similarities to the giant Norilsk deposits in Russia

Special Report: Miramar Resources has reported that mineralogical analysis from its Mt Vernon project has confirmed the Bangemall region as a new nickel-copper province in WA.

Mt Vernon is part of the company’s Bangemall nickel-copper-cobalt-platinum group elements projects, in a geological province in WA’s Gascoyne region that is the same age as the Giles Complex, which hosts the large Nebo and Babel Ni-Cu deposits in the West Musgraves.

The region has been identified by the Geological Survey of Western Australia, Geoscience Australia and the CSIRO as having high prospectivity for mineralisation associated with the Kulkatharra Dolerite sills – a feature that reads like the giant Norilsk Ni-Cu-PGE deposits in Russia.

And now, Miramar Resources (ASX:M2R) says analysis of samples from the WA government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) co-funded RC drilling has confirmed the presence of disseminated nickel and copper sulphides (pentlandite and chalcopyrite respectively) in multiple drill holes.

Notably, the average ratio of chalcopyrite to pentlandite is roughly 3:1, which is similar to that seen at Norilsk.

First mover status in the region

Since 2020, Miramar has built a strategic land position in the region, focusing on areas containing key ingredients and/or regional-scale indicators which have the potential to host multiple, large – and economic – nickel-copper and platinum group elements mineralisation.

Now, M2R executive chairman Allan Kelly says the new data confirmed Bangemall as a major new nickel-copper mineral province where Miramar has first-mover status and a dominant land position.

“We targeted the Bangemall region on the basis of several regional-scale data sets which indicated the potential for Norilsk-style mafic intrusion-hosted magmatic Ni-Cu-Co-PGE mineralisation,” he said.

“We now have proof that an extensive volume of mafic magma carrying nickel and copper has assimilated sulphate minerals and then undergone differentiation to produce mafic cumulate rocks containing disseminated nickel and copper sulphides.

“Now that we have proven our initial concepts, the aim is to find out where those sulphides have accumulated to form an economic mineral deposit.”

The company is excited about the potential to discover a large deposit within its Bangemall tenement holding, with the plan going forwards to:

• Sign up to the CSIRO’s ‘Indicator Minerals for Magmatic Nickel Sulphides’ study;
• apply for EIS funding for detailed magnetic and electromagnetic surveys to cover Trouble Bore and the recently granted tenement applications; and
• complete a diamond drill hole at the high-priority Trouble Bore EM target, which was previously co-funded under Round 29 of the EIS.

This article was developed in collaboration with Miramar Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.