Galileo Mining Ltd Identifies Five Highly Promising Palladium-Nickel Zones For Norseman Drilling

“Our Norseman project with palladium-nickel-cobalt fits well with our nickel-copper-cobalt Fraser Range project. Both areas have excellent potential for new discoveries as we explore the metals that will lead to the global transition to the use of cleaner technologies, ”said MD.
() identified five priority palladium-nickel drilling targets for investigation in the upcoming air drilling on the wholly owned Norseman project in the Kambalda nickel belt in Western Australia.
Surface soil sampling and previous drilling results were used to identify targets, which contain palladium up to 0.81 g / t in soil sampling and nickel up to 0.25% in defined target areas.
The program will include 10,000 meters of core drilling scheduled to start from mid-October to the end of October and is expected to last at least six weeks. It is designed to develop multiple leads to prepare for RC and follow-up diamond drilling programs.
Strong clues
“Soil sampling and existing drill results established the prospectivity of our land at the Norseman project. There are very few early stage palladium prospects with such strong indications of mineralization, ”said Galileo CEO Brad Underwood.
“Our Norseman project with palladium-nickel-cobalt fits well with our nickel-copper-cobalt Fraser Range project. Both fields have great potential for new discoveries as we explore the metals that will lead to the global transition to the use of cleaner technologies.
“Aerial core drilling is expected to begin in about two weeks, subject to the usual constraints of rig availability and weather conditions. We look forward to being in the field and starting our next phase of drill testing. “
Norseman’s existing drilling results have already demonstrated the strong prospectivity of the ground position:
- 27 meters at 0.58 g / t of palladium, 0.12 g / t of platinum, 0.13% copper and 0.18% nickel over 123 meters, including 3 meters at 1.1 g / t of palladium , 0.19 g / t of platinum, 0.23% of copper and 0.26% of nickel; and
- 2 meters at 2.39 g / t of palladium, 0.63 g / t of platinum and 0.11% of nickel from 92 meters, including 1 meter at 4.3 g / t of palladium, 1.1 g / t of platinum and 0.12% of nickel.
The company aims to explore large-scale magmatic nickel-copper deposits in the prolific Fraser Range and high-grade nickel-copper-cobalt resources at its Norseman project.
Priority drill targets
GAL has identified five high priority targets that it intends to study in this drilling campaign. A potential contact zone has been identified perpendicular to the Jimberlana Dyke, a body of igneous rock composed of three vertical layers in a V-shaped cross section.
Target JD1: This drill target occupies a central position in the Jimberlana dyke. The geochemical anomaly is associated with the flush stratified intrusion of Jimberlana Dyke.
Potential areas of the dike to the north and south could not be tested with soil sampling due to low material coverage. Pneumatic core drilling will penetrate areas where effective soil sampling has been prevented.
The maximum palladium value in soil sampling from this area was 0.81 g / t palladium, while the maximum nickel recorded was 0.2% nickel.
Target JD2: In a southern position where the Jimberlana dyke breaks up north-trending sulphide sediment, this target occupies a lower layer of strata under the Mission Sill intrusion.
The maximum palladium value in soil sampling from this zone was 0.32 g / t palladium and the maximum nickel was 0.12% nickel.
Target MS1: The southernmost promising target of this program, it occupies a contact zone between the ultramafic Mission Sill (igneous rock containing less than 45% silica) and the overlying gabbro (intrusive mafic rock containing 45 to 55% of silica).
Similar geological occurrences are known to produce mineralization deposits such as the Lac des Iles mine in Canada and the Munni Munni deposit in Western Australia.
Previous RC drilling has recorded large intersections of palladium, including 68 meters at 0.2 g / t palladium.
Target MS2: This target is a potential contact zone between the Mission Sill ultramafic and the overlying gabbro where the sill interacted with the east-west trending Jimberlana dyke.
Maximum values of up to 0.3 g / t palladium and 0.25% nickel in soil sampling at this location are associated with laterite-iron with promising zones (as identified by interpretation magnetic) obscured by roofing materials.
Target MS3: Targeting the northern prospective contact area between the Mission Sill ultramafic and the overlying gabbro, there are ultramafic rock outcrops in this area, but the prospective contact position is mainly under shallow cover.
The maximum palladium value in soil sampling from this area was 0.16 g / t palladium and the maximum nickel value was 0.19% nickel.
Future drilling programs
Galileo will follow up on any anomalies identified during the core drilling program with RC and diamond drilling, if applicable. This next stage of drilling will also test down dip and along strike using existing mineralized drill results received from the Norseman project area, including palladium intersections such as:
- 27 meters at 0.58 g / t of palladium, 0.12 g / t of platinum, 0.13% of copper and 0.18% of nickel, including 3 meters at 1.1 g / t of palladium, 0, 19 g / t of platinum, 0.23% copper and 0.26% nickel; and
- 24 meters at 0.51 g / t of palladium, 0.08 g / t of platinum, 0.10% copper and 0.15% nickel.
The grade of the sulphide zone of the Mt Thirsty prospect – just north of the Mission Sill zone, in the Norseman Galileo project area – increases as it trends eastward, supporting the interpretation that an increase in mineralization occurs in the target area.
GAL is expected to design a drilling program to further explore this promising area in the near future.