A staged, systematic exploration campaign along the Sinclair Trend is anticipated to follow the current program at Delphi North and Schmitz Well.
Springfield
Sinclair
Figure 1: Massive sulphides in core from drill-hole SND001 completed in 2015 at Delphi North
Talisman Mining Limited (ASX: TLM; "Talisman") advises that it has commenced on-ground exploration activities at the 100%-owned Sinclair Nickel Project ("Sinclair") in WA. The completion of an internal review of results from the successful 2015 maiden drilling campaign has identified a number of attractive exploration targets which warrant further work.
The first stage of the program comprises Downhole Electromagnetic (DHEM) geophysical surveys of Diamond holes drilled by Talisman in 2015 and a review and re-logging of selected historic drill holes completed at the Delphi North Prospect.
This will be followed by a program of Diamond and reverse circulation (RC) drilling at both the Delphi North and Schmitz Well Prospects (Appendix 1), which is planned to commence early next month.
In addition, Talisman continues to develop its understanding of regional geology at Sinclair in order to conduct a targeted exploration strategy both along the Sinclair Trend and regionally. Further exploration activities will be planned to follow the current programs.
Overview
Sinclair is located in the world-class Agnew-Wiluna Greenstone Belt in WA's North-eastern Goldfields (Appendix 1). The Sinclair nickel deposit, developed and commissioned in 2008 and operated successfully before being placed on care and maintenance in August 2013, produced approximately 38,500 tonnes of nickel at an average life-of-mine head grade of 2.44% Ni. Sinclair has extensive
infrastructure and includes a substantial 290km2 tenement package covering more than 80km strike of
prospective ultramafic contact within a 35km radius of the existing processing plant and infrastructure.
Delphi North Prospect
The Delphi North prospect is located on the Sinclair Trend, an 8km strike of ultramafic/mafic rocks running from the Sinclair deposit, south to the Delphi North Prospect (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Oblique projection of the Sinclair Ultramafic trend
Recent work by Talisman involved a reinterpretation of historic drilling and an assessment of the lithological, geochemical and supporting geophysical data to better understand the controls on mineralisation within the Sinclair Trend and refine the targeting model for Sinclair-style deposits.
The remodelling of the ultramafic/basal contact in the near mine environment identified multiple mineralised positions, reaffirming the high prospectivity of the Sinclair Trend including the Delphi North Prospect (Figure 2).
SND001
Figure 3: Projected Delphi North long section showing interpreted footwall contact and selected nickel intersections.
Talisman completed its maiden exploration program at Delphi in November 2015 with encouraging results.
Two Diamond drill holes were completed at Delphi North (Figure 3) targeting historical DHEM anomalies and a moving-loop electromagnetic (MLEM) anomaly (see ASX release: "Sinclair Nickel Project - Exploration Update" dated 30 November 2015).
As previously reported, drill-hole SND001 (Figure 3), which targeted an interpreted MLEM anomaly, intersected a number of massive, matrix and breccia sulphide horizons in a deformed sequence of host ultramafic and basaltic rock units.
Assay results returned from Diamond drill hole SND001 located at the Delphi North Prospect, 4km south of the Sinclair nickel mine, included: