Chalice Mining has announced that the Western Australian Government has approved its Stage Three Conservation Management Plan (CMP) and Programme of Work (PoW) for exploration drilling across the full strike length of the Julimar Complex.
The more than 30km interpreted strike is located at Chalice’s 100 per cent owned Julimar Nickel-Copper-PGE (Ni-Cu-PGE) Exploration Project in Western Australia.
Low-impact drilling is expected to include a targeted program of exploration diamond drilling at the untested Torres, Jansz and Baudin targets, additional exploration drilling at Hooley, and a broad program of shallow air-core (AC) drilling across the entirety of the complex.
The aim of the diamond drilling program is to assess the potential for high grade Ni-Cu-PGE discoveries, with the AC program focused on evaluating the full extent of prospective ultramafic geology across the complex and defining additional targets for drill testing.
The initial priority target for diamond drilling is a new coherent Nickel-Chromium+/-Copper soil anomaly immediately west of the Torres target, which is coincident with an approximately 2.5km long magnetic anomaly. This is interpreted to be in a similar stratigraphic position to the prospective Hooley Prospect, where high-grade sulphide mineralisation has been intersected in the previous phase of drilling.
Drilling is expected to continue for at least six months, with approval received for reconnaissance exploration drilling over the full strike length.
The PoW and CMP set out strict environmental management and monitoring requirements that will apply to drilling activities. Importantly, all drilling will be constrained entirely to existing access tracks and non-vegetated areas to avoid impacts to the environment.
Chalice will maintain the same environmental controls previously applied to the company’s exploration program in the Julimar State Forest, using small-footprint tracked drill rigs on existing tracks and non-vegetated areas.
The majority of the Julimar Complex lies beneath a portion of the Julimar State Forest, an approximately 29,000ha area administered by the Western Australian Government under the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984.
Exploration may be permitted within state forest areas with the approval of the Western Australian Minister for Environment and Minister for Mines, subject to normal regulatory approval processes.
The Julimar Exploration Project surrounds the Gonneville Deposit – a significant greenfield Ni-Cu-PGE discovery made by Chalice in 2020. The Julimar Exploration Project is part of the company’s regional exploration portfolio in the new West Yilgarn Province and is being progressed separately to the development of the Gonneville Project (at Pre-Feasibility Study stage).
Featured imaged: Exploration works underway. Image credit: Chalice Mining.
