Bow river
(Ni/Cu/Co±PGE)
The Bow River prospect contains the Bow River intrusion, which has been mapped over an area of 900m x 300m based on outcropping gossans and anomalous soil geochemistry. The surface expression of the intrusion has received most of the focus of historical exploration, with drilling and ground EM surveys as detailed below. However, the broader intrusive has received little attention. In addition exploration using more powerful modern day geophysical techniques to detect conductors deeper below surface has not been completed.
Previous drilling is limited to a very small area of the Bow River mafic intrusive, Figure 2, 3.
The Bow River Project is located within the Halls Creek Mobile Zone in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia (Figure 1). The Project comprised one granted exploration licences E80/4955, held by East Kimberley Resources Pty Ltd, furthermore, Lycaon has applied for an additional tenement ELA 80/5774 covering 620km² of prospective Sally Downs Supersuite and Tickalara Metamorphics, (Figure 1).
The Project area covers two known nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide prospects mapped as the Salt Lick Creek intrusion and the Bow River intrusion. Both intrusives are sulphide-bearing and similar in style and setting to Panoramic Resources’ Savannah mine, located approximately 60 kilometres further south. The relatively recent discovery (2014) of the Savannah North resource at depth adjoining the existing mine (effectively quadrupling the Ni-Cu-Co resource) has highlighted the prospectivity of E80/4955 given its analogous geological setting.
Previous Exploration
The Bow River and Salt Lick prospects were discovered by Pickands Mather in 1965 during routine follow-up of anomalous copper values, obtained in a regional drainage geochemical survey. An extensive work program in 1966-67 included geological mapping, geochemical sampling, ground magnetics, IP surveys, drilling (both cored and percussion holes), and costeaning.
Subsequent work by Australian Anglo American (1977-1983) involved additional geological mapping, photogeology and Landsat studies, soil geochemistry, Dighem II surveys and a wide range of ground geophysical surveys (Crone EM, Pulse EM and ground magnetics), followed by diamond drilling. Soil geochemistry and mapping of gossans led to the identification of the Bow River Intrusive in which “Tickalara contacts” as well as complex “embayment” zones were reported to contain disseminated, stringer or massive sulfide dominated by pyrrhotite, pentlandite and chalcopyrite (NB: the exact percentage of sulfides were not recorded). The highest drill result obtained by Anglo was 3.17m @ 1.45% Ni and 0.41% Cu (DDH102, refer WAMEX report A9748 and Appendix 1).
Airborne magnetic and electromagnetic surveys were completed in 2002, to assess the effectiveness of previous drilling and to define new drill targets. The airborne EM survey outlined a strongly conductive zone coincident with the soil geochemical anomaly. Follow up of the airborne survey anomalies with a ground-based EM system led to the recognition of six discrete conductors, several of which had not been tested by previous drilling. Drilling of electromagnetic conductor targets intersected broad zones of low-grade nickel mineralisation in disseminated to massive sulphides up to 20m thick (WAMEX Report A65634).
The combined results of historical work completed to date provides Lycaon with a compelling prospect to discover primary nickel copper sulphides at depth within the two layered mafic intrusions within E80/4955. Lycaon intends to follow on from this prior work that identified high grade nickel, copper, cobalt (±PGE’s) mineralisation with high powered electromagnetic surveys prior to drilling.
