REG - Thor Mining PLC - Gold, Nickel & Chrome - Pilbara Sample Assays

Thor EnergyAnnouncement

16/01/2020 10:00

RNS Number : 0273A
Thor Mining PLC
16 January 2020
 


16 January 2020
 
THOR MINING PLC
GOLD, NICKEL & CHROME - PILBARA SAMPLE ASSAYS
 
The Board of Thor Mining Plc ("Thor") (AIM, ASX: THR) is pleased to advise gold, nickel, and chromium assays from preliminary geochemistry reconnaissance at its 100% owned Pilbara Goldfield tenements (E46/1262 and E46/1190) in Western Australia.
The program comprised stream sediment samples from 44 sites located to provide a broad coverage across the tenements. Initial gold panning provided strong evidence of gold prospectivity. Subsequent laboratory assay results now to hand provide further support for the gold potential in addition to identifying nickel and chrome potential of the location.
 
Highlights:
·   Three samples assayed above 0.3g/t gold
·   Including one assay of 0.9g/t gold
·   Anomalous nickel & chromium up to 1,272ppm Ni and 2,074ppm Cr.
The assays follow up previously announced results from panning  (6 Nov 2019) with best results of:
·   Visible gold from panning of 13 of the 44 sediment trap sites sampled;
·   Maximum observed gold comprised 20 grains (very fine) from one trap site with five grains (very fine) observed in the adjacent creek sample;
 
Mr Mick Billing, Executive Chairman, commented: 
"Very encouraging results from our initial reconnaissance survey on this ground, with plenty of follow up targets, focussing on gold, nickel & chrome."
"The elevated nickel & chrome samples either side of the ultramafic ridge on the western side of the licence area is particularly intriguing".
"The next phase or work here is likely to comprise further detailed stream sediment sampling, and soil sampling to confirm and extend these results, along with geological mapping".
 
The program was designed and implemented by George Merhi of Bann Geological Services Pty Ltd.
The programme comprised stream sediment trap site sampling (detailed in Table A). Samples comprising coarse (-5mm+2mm) and fine (-2mm) fraction sediment were collected for geochemical analysis comprising Au 2kg BLEG (fine fraction), aqua regia (fine and coarse fractions) and multi-element analysis.
The combined assay and gold panning results have several areas for follow up field evaluation likely to comprise detailed stream sediment sampling, soil sampling and geological mapping to better evaluate potential source lithologies.
Elevated nickel and chrome results obtained from samples 19PST23 and 19PST31 straddle the north-south trending ultramafic ridge on the west of E46/1262 provide strong encouragement for follow up sampling and evaluation.
Table: A Summary of results




Sample No


Easting


Northing


Tenement


Visual Gold count


Comment


Au (CN1) ppb


Au Repeat ppb


Au (AR2) ppb


Au Repeat ppb


Ni ppm


Cr ppm






19PST1


788517


7585914


E46/1262


20


v fine


No significant assays




19PST2


788542


7585747


E46/1262


5


v fine


''




19PST3


787507


7584556


E46/1262


1


med rounded


"




19PST4


787501


7584365


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST5


785739


7580319


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST6


785962


7580255


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST7


784251


7578348


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST8


784238


7578402


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST9


780980


7591940


E46/1190


0


 


"




19PST11


790941


7586131


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST12


790887


7586107


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST13


788661


7584372


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST14


788668


7584326


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST15


784554


7581458


E46/1262


1


nugget angular


6.7


72.26


 


 


 


 




19PST16


784518


7581504


E46/1262


0


 


No significant assays




19PST17


783611


7580160


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST18


783583


7580269


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST19


779729


7590847


E46/1190


0


 


 


 


256


373


 


 




19PST20


779691


7590795


E46/1190


0


 


No significant assays




19PST21


779637


7589090


E46/1190


2


 med flat


"




19PST22


779673


7589010


E46/1190


2


1 m/ 1 f flat


"




19PST23


779543


7583792


E46/1262


0


 


 


 


 


 


643


1477




19PST24


779545


7583840


E46/1262


0


 


No significant assays




19PST25


781942


7586463


E46/1190


0


 


"




19PST26


781830


7586363


E46/1190


0


 


"




19PST27


781797


7589110


E46/1190


2


very fine


"




19PST28


781421


7588166


E46/1190


1


1 fine flat


"




19PST29


781369


7588090


E46/1190


0


 


"




19PST30


781323


7583894


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST31


781247


7583860


E46/1262


0


 


 


 


 


 


1272


2074




19PST32


780820


7586665


E46/1262


2


fine


21.98


119.54


 


864


 


 




19PST33


780775


7586684


E46/1262


1


fine chunky


No significant assays




19PST34


780079


7586846


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST35


784674


7582582


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST36


784678


7582468


E46/1262


1


1vcs flat


"




19PST37


783105


7586695


E46/1190


0


 


"




19PST38


789014


7585264


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST39


788997


7585253


E46/1262


0


 


"




19PST40


787488


7585639


E46/1190


0


 


"




19PST41


782773


7583406


E46/1190


0


 


"




19PST42


782779


7583466


E46/1190


0


 


"




19PST43


783418


7586477


E46/1190


0


 


20.19


12.83


 


 


 


 




19PST44


789142


7585884


E46/1262


1


coarse rounded


 


463


 


 


 


 




19PST45


789173


7585849


E46/1262


1


med


No significant assays




1.         CN: Cyanide leach




2.         AR: Aqua Regia




 
The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.
 
Enquiries:








Mick Billing


+61 (8) 7324 1935


Thor Mining PLC


Executive Chairman




Ray Ridge


+61 (8) 7324 1935


Thor Mining PLC


CFO/Company
Secretary




Colin Aaronson/
Richard Tonthat/ Ben Roberts


+44 (0) 207 383 5100


Grant Thornton UK LLP 


Nominated Adviser




Nick Emerson
Claire Louise Noyce /
John Beresford-Peirse
 


+44 (0) 1483 413 500
+44 (0) 203 764 2341


SI Capital Ltd
Hybridan LLP


Joint Broker
Joint Broker




 


 


 


 




 
Updates on the Company's activities are regularly posted on Thor's website  www.thormining.com, which includes a facility to register to receive these updates by email, and on the Company's twitter page @ThorMining.
 
Competent Persons Report
The information in this report that relates to exploration results is based on information compiled by Richard Bradey, who holds a BSc in applied geology and an MSc in natural resource management and who is a Member of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Bradey is an employee of Thor Mining PLC. He has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Richard Bradey consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.
JORC Code, 2012 Edition - Table 1 report template
Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data
(Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections.)




Criteria


JORC Code explanation


Commentary






Sampling techniques


·    Nature and quality of sampling (eg cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling.
·    Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used.
·    Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report.
·    In cases where 'industry standard' work has been done this would be relatively simple (eg 'reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay'). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (eg submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information.


The programme comprised stream sediment trap site sampling with coarse (3kg -5mm+2mm) and fine (4kg -2mm) fraction samples collected for geochemical analysis for Au 2kg BLEG (fine fraction), aqua regia (fine and coarse fractions) and multi-element analysis. In addition a 10-12 kg sample of -2mm material was collected from each trap site and panned in the field.




Drilling techniques


·    Drill type (eg core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details (eg core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc).


Not applicable




Drill sample recovery


·    Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed.
·    Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples.
·    Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material.


Not applicable




Logging


·    Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies.
·    Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc) photography.
·    The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged.


No logging was undertaken




Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation


·    If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken.
·    If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc and whether sampled wet or dry.
·    For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique.
·    Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples.
·    Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling.
·    Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled.


Samples were screened in the field as described in "Sampling Techniques" above.
The sample sizes are as per industry standard for stream sediment geochemistry.




Quality of assay data and laboratory tests


·    The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total.
·    For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc, the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc.
·    Nature of quality control procedures adopted (eg standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (ie lack of bias) and precision have been established.


The proposed assay method is appropriate for preliminary exploration.




Verification of sampling and assaying


·    The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel.
·    The use of twinned holes.
·    Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols.
·    Discuss any adjustment to assay data.


Not undertaken




Location of data points


·    Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation.
·    Specification of the grid system used.
·    Quality and adequacy of topographic control.


Hand held GPS - MGA94 zone 50




Data spacing and distribution


·    Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results.
·    Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied.
·    Whether sample compositing has been applied.


Data reported is for a preliminary reconnaissance survey and is indicative of the mineral prospectivity. No inferences are made as to mineralisation potential.




Orientation of data in relation to geological structure


·    Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type.
·    If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material.


Orientational bias is not applicable to stream sediment sampling which are essentially one dimensional.




Sample security


·    The measures taken to ensure sample security.


Samples were flown back to Newman and trucked to the assay laboratory in Perth. Sample security levels are considered appropriate for a preliminary reconnaissance assessment.




Audits or reviews


·    The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data.


None undertaken




Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results
(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.)




 


 


 


 






Mineral tenement and land tenure status


·    Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings.
·    The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area.


Exploration results is reported on E46/1190 and E46/1262 in Western Australia held 100% by Thor Mining plc.


 




Exploration done by other parties


·    Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties.


Not applicable


 




Geology


·    Deposit type, geological setting and style of mineralisation.


Yet to be determined


 




Drill hole Information


·    A summary of all information material to the understanding of the exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all Material drill holes:
o easting and northing of the drill hole collar
o elevation or RL (Reduced Level - elevation above sea level in metres) of the drill hole collar
o dip and azimuth of the hole
o down hole length and interception depth
o hole length.
·    If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case.


No drilling has been undertaken or reported


 




Data aggregation methods


·    In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum and/or minimum grade truncations (eg cutting of high grades) and cut-off grades are usually Material and should be stated.
·    Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high grade results and longer lengths of low grade results, the procedure used for such aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such aggregations should be shown in detail.
·    The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be clearly stated.


Only field observations have been reported. There has been no data aggregation.


 




Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths


·    These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration Results.
·    If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is known, its nature should be reported.
·    If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should be a clear statement to this effect (eg 'down hole length, true width not known').


No drilling has been undertaken or reported




Diagrams


·    Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts should be included for any significant discovery being reported These should include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and appropriate sectional views.


A sample location plan including current 1:100k scale geology has been provided


 




Balanced reporting


·    Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced to avoid misleading reporting of Exploration Results.


All results have been reported


 




Other substantive exploration data


·    Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples - size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances.


All data have been reported


 




Further work


·    The nature and scale of planned further work (eg tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling).
·    Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive.


It is anticipated that follow up stream sediment geochemistry and geological mapping will be undertaken to locate sources of anomalous results.


 



 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 
 




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