Rigs crack crust as Dynamic Metals gets to work

Critical minerals explorer Dynamic Metals is firing up its rigs for the second time at its Widgiemooltha project in Western Australia, in a bid to extend the stellar high-grade nickel results revealed from its maiden drill program.

Two RC rigs will chew up more than 400m of soil and rock as the company's hunt continues for Kambalda komatiite-type massive sulphide mineralisation.

Komatiite-type massive sulphide mineralisation deposits are known as some of the world's biggest nickel deposits and often come with a much higher nickel grade than other types of nickel ore bodies.

Dynamic expects investors to be able to ogle its latest batch of rocks from its Dordie Far West prospect by early next quarter. The revelation of thick high-grade nickel assays from its maiden drill program in February will have its punters hoping the prospect can deliver again.

Initial geochemical analysis from that program showed a handful of promising grades, including a 5m section from just 30m that returned 2.84 per cent nickel. A 16m intercept from 27m revealed 1.96 per cent nickel, while another core sample revealed a 3m hit from just 50m, yielding 2.06 per nickel.

Dordie Far West sits on the north-west margin of the Widgiemooltha project. Previous reverse-core (RC) drilling conducted by Mincor Resources in the late 2000s produced encouraging results, including 10.7 per cent nickel, 3.1 per cent copper and 0.3 per cent cobalt from as little as 45m.

After RC drilling is completed, Dynamic will move its air-core (AC) drill rig to three other prospects within Widgiemooltha known as Mandilla, Higginsville and Sunday Soak. The latter will be completed by the end of the June quarter.

AC drilling, an Australian invention from the 1960s, is often used in early-stage exploration where loose sediments remain uncemented in order to search for anomalies at relatively shallow depths. AC rigs are lighter and cost less to get to site, allowing information to be gathered quickly without burning through the cash.

RC drilling, the type of rigs sent out to Dordie Far West, is used when companies need to know more about the rocks at depth as the rigs often reach down to 600m. It is a useful next step in exploration, as the rigs produce samples free of contaminants, use less water than a diamond drill rig and in some cases, cost 40 per cent less than a diamond drill rig – and they can give a mining firm's top brass a glimpse of potential economic mineralisation.

At a recent Sydney mining conference, Dynamic Metals outlined a busy year ahead, with various field reconnaissance and several drilling programs already scheduled. Given the company has more than $5 million in the kitty, there should be a steady stream of news coming for the next six months.

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