🕐12.03.10 - 11:13 Uhr
New Archer drilling confirms 1km long nickel?chrome anomaly on
12th March 2010
New Archer drilling confirms 1km long nickel‐chrome anomaly on
South Australia’s
Eyre Peninsula
Drilling identifies 1km long nickel / chrome anomaly which is open to the west at
100%‐owned Pindari Project
Maximum values of 0.37% nickel and 0.34% chromium
Follow‐up drilling planned second half of 2010
Campaign comprised 1,711 metres aircore drilling
Summary
A new drilling program completed last month has defined a 1 km long coincident nickel/chrome
anomaly (greater than 1,000 ppm nickel and chrome) at Archer Exploration Limited’s (ASX:AXE)
100%‐owned Pindari project on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.
The anomaly is open to the west and has peak values of 0.37% Ni and 0.34% Cr, confirming Pindari’s
nickel potential, and warranting further new drilling.
The results follow a207 hole 1,711 metre aircore drilling program conducted by Archer in the eastern
portion of Pindari – part of the Carappee Hill tenement (EL3711) south of Kimba.
The outline of the nickel/chrome anomaly mirrors the shape of the core of the Pindari magnetic
anomaly.
Bedrock rare earth (REE) values, whilst not correlating with the nickel and chrome geochemistry
were elevated over a wide area.
Peak REE values were generally 10‐20 times REE crustal abundance.
These geochemical results confirm Pindari’s nickel potential, originally identified from a 1987
Stockdale hole recovered from the PIRSA core library, and show a close association with the core of
the Pindari magnetic anomaly.
Future work will involve aircore drilling and sampling the western portion of the Pindari magnetic
anomaly.
A Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling program will be undertaken in the third quarter of 2010
to test the magnetic, electromagnetic and nickel/chrome geochemical Pindari anomaly at depth.
Background
On the 26th November 2009, Archer released the nickel and chrome analysis results from two
diamond holes originally drilled by Stockdale Prospecting Ltd in 1987 to test a prominent, regional, 3
kilometre diameter, circular magnetic anomaly on an area now covered by Archer Exploration’s 100%
owned Pindari Project.
Archer reported that the 9‐31m interval in hole, Pindari 1, averaged 0.19% nickel and 0.24% chrome.
Petrology investigations indicated nickel sulphides, pentlandite and violarite (Fe2N23S4 – a supergene
nickel sulphide after pentlandite) were present within this Ni/Cr anomalous zone.
The host rock is an
ultramafic protolith probably rich in olivine and clinopyroxene, which has been metamorphosed and
veined.
Commencing on the 28th January 2010, Archer carried out a 1,711m aircore drilling program to
sample bedrock, through the shallow, variable, (1‐10m) transported sand cover, which covers the
Pindari magnetic anomaly.
The geochemical survey covered the eastern portion of the 3km diameter
coincident magnetic (fig 1) and electromagnetic anomalies at Pindari.
Samples were taken approximately 2 metres below the cover materials on a 100x100 metre grid over
the eastern portion of the 3 kilometre diameter Pindari magnetic anomaly.
The objective of this
program was to define multi‐element geochemical anomalies, which together with the magnetic and
electromagnetic survey data, would define targets to be tested with deeper drilling during the
second or third quarter of 2010.
Geochemical Survey Results
1.
Nickel and Chrome Bedrock/Soil Geochemistry
Bedrock/soil samples were strongly anomalous for nickel and chrome (fig 2 and 3) peaking at
3,670 ppm Ni and 3,350 ppm Cr.
Nickel and Chrome were associated with elevated copper,
calcium, magnesium and titanium.
There was a strong contrast between background Ni and
Cr values and the anomalous results.
The nickel and chrome anomalism is closely associated with the core of the Pindari magnetic
anomaly (fig 1).
Fig 1: Pindari Magnetic anomaly with aircore sample nickel contours
Fig 2: Pindari Nickel aircore soil/bedrock geochemistry
Fig 3: Pindari Chrome Aircore soil/bedrock geochemistry
2.
REE geochemistry
REE (rare earth elements) were anomalous in the Pindari aircore survey when compared with
crustal abundance as illustrated in table 1.
REE Maximum Pindari Survey Crustal Abundance
Lanthanum 264 ppm (18ppm)
Yttrium 481 ppm (28ppm)
Dysprosium 71 ppm (5 ppm)
Europium 43.7 ppm (4 ppm)
Erbium 13.2 ppm (0.5 ppm)
Gadolinium 68.4 ppm (6.4 ppm)
Holmium 16.3 ppm (1.2 ppm)
Lutecium 6.4 ppm (0.8 ppm)
Neodymium 281 ppm (24 ppm)
Praeseodymium 69.7 ppm (5.5 ppm)
Samarium 58.5 ppm (6.5 ppm)
Terbium 0.9 ppm (12.2 ppm)
Thulium 7.2 ppm (0.4 ppm)
Ytterbium 39.9 ppm (2.7 ppm)
Cerium 583 ppm (46 ppm)
Table 1 Maximum Rare Earth ‐ Aircore survey Pindari compared with Rare Earth Crustal Abundance
Bedrock rare earth (REE) values, whilst not directly correlating with the nickel and chrome
geochemistry were elevated over a wide area trending WNW.
Peak REE values were
generally 10‐20 times REE crustal abundance.
Archer is currently evaluating the significance of the REE values and their possible
associations.
3.
Tungsten
For 205 of the 206 aircore bedrock samples collected, Tungsten values ranged from 0.4 ‐ 19.2
ppm W, with an average of 3 ppm W.
One sample, significantly collected from weathered
granite, returned 3,860ppm (0.39% W).
In this area, samples were collected on 100m line
spacing and no samples were collected west of the highly anomalous tungsten result.
However, for the anomalous tungsten sample, the only other associated anomalous element
was silver.
Other common tungsten‐associated elements including tin, lithium, niobium
antimony etc.
were at background levels, leading to the possible conclusion that the
tungsten came from drill bit contamination.
Forward program
Archer will analyse the results of the recent drill program at Pindari in order to plan follow up
work.
Additional aircore drilling and bedrock sampling over the untested western portion of
the Pindari magnetic anomaly is likely to be the next step, followed by RC drilling in the third
quarter of 2010.
For further information please contact:
Mr Greg English
Chairman
Archer Exploration Limited
Tel: (08) 8332 5033
Mr Mike Hatcher
Chief Executive Officer
Archer Exploration Limited
Tel: (08) 8332 5033
The exploration results reported herein, insofar as they relate to mineralisation, are based on information compiled by
Mr.
Wade Bollenhagen, Exploration Manager of Archer Exploration Limited.
Mr.
Bollenhagen is a Member of
the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy who has more than fifteen years experience in the field of activity
being reported.
Mr.
Bollenhagen consents to the inclusion in the report of matters based on his information in the form
and context in which it appears.
Figure 4: Tenement Plan showing Carappee Hill EL3711(Pindari Project) and other Archer
Project areas