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- Metal Hawk (MHK) wraps up initial air core drilling at the Blair North and Clinker Hill projects in WA
- MHK has drilled a combined 34 holes over 1319 metres at the projects to test geophysical and geochemical features associated with ultramafic rocks
- The work at Blair North confirms an anomalous zone containing highly elevated platinum group elements
- Meanwhile, the majority of drill holes at Clinker Hill have intersected prospective mafic and high-magnesium-oxide ultramafic rocks
- Metal Hawk shares are trading in the grey at 23 cents each at 4:18 pm AEST
Metal Hawk (MHK) has wrapped up initial air core (AC) drilling at the Blair North and Clinker Hill projects in Western Australia.
The company drilled a combined 34 holes over 1319 metres at the projects, which are located roughly 30 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie.
The program was designed to test a number of geochemical and geophysical features associated with ultramafic rocks.
Blair North
At Blair North, drilling investigated an historical rotary air blast nickel-copper anomaly, around 4.5 kilometres north of the Blair Nickel Mine.
The work has confirmed that the highly anomalous zone, which is situated among deeply weathered rocks, also contains highly elevated platinum group elements.
Drilling returned an intercept of 54 metres at 0.32 per cent nickel, 279 parts per million (ppm) copper, eight parts per billion (ppb) platinum and 19ppb palladium from 35 metres.
Notably, the same intersection included five metres at 0.57 per cent nickel, 450ppm copper, 29ppb platinum and 32ppb palladium from 84 metres to end of hole.
Clinker Hill
Roughly five kilometres east of Blair North, MHK carried out five traverses of AC drilling at Clinker Hill, designed to test geochemical and geophysical targets.
The company said the majority of drill holes intersected prospective mafic and high-magnesium-oxide ultramafic rocks.
Significant results included an intercept of 25 metres at 0.44 per cent nickel, 52ppm copper, 48ppb platinum and 33ppb palladium from 15 metres, which included 10 metres at 0.66 per cent nickel, 53ppm copper, 32ppb platinum and 51ppb palladium from 15 metres.
Metal Hawk’s managing director, Will Belbin, said the company aimed to progress its exploration of both projects where the underlying ultramafic geology was favourable for sulphide mineralisation.
“We are particularly encouraged by the nickel-copper-PGE geochemical anomaly at Blair North where there has been virtually no previous nickel exploration,” he said.
“We look forward to following up this target with deeper drilling and downhole electromagnetic as we explore for new zones of massive nickel sulphide.”
Next steps
Looking ahead, MHK has submitted a program of works for reverse circulation drilling at Blair North, with initial plans for three to five holes and follow up drill hole electromagnetic surveying.
Further exploration is also planned for Clinker Hill.
Elsewhere in WA, the company’s joint venture partner, ASX-lister Western Areas (WSA), is gearing up to begin nickel sulphide exploration at Emu Lake and Kanowna East.
Late in the session on Wednesday, Metal Hawk shares were trading in the grey at 23 cents each at 4:18 pm AEST.
