Acra Joint Venture Project
Introduction
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The Acra project is located 60km ENE of Kalgoorlie in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia.
The Acra Project is a Joint Venture between Pioneer and Jubilee Mines NL ("Jubilee"). Under the terms of the joint venture, Jubilee may earn up to a 75% interest in the tenements, including the Acra deposit by expending $6.5 million on exploration. Pioneer will continue to be free carried until the commencement of mining.
The project is classed as advanced stage exploration, in that Nickel Sulphide mineralisation has been intersected in a basal ultramafic contact position. Disseminated nickel sulphides have been intersected in drilling by Pioneer and previous explorers over a strike length of 200m.
In addition, the project has a recognised Nickel Sulphide gossan at Jubilee, 2.5km NW along strike from Acra, which remains largely untested. Nickel sulphide has also been intersected in drilling by Jubilee Mines NL and Image Resources NL at Emu Lake, approximately 30km N from Acra.
Latest Development by Pioneer
The current drilling programme at Acra is continuing to test multiple, broad zones of disseminated nickel sulphides. In many Western Australian examples high grade, massive nickel sulphide ore lenses are spatially related to disseminated nickel sulphide occurrences.
Pioneer has completed TEM; and soil sampling which returned anomalous Ni-Cu-PGM geochemistry results. When combined with records of gossans in historical drilling, this indicates that the strike of the mineralised ultramafic basal contact could be up to 0.75km. New drilling results support this interpretation.
Results from the current round of drilling include:
| Hole ID | Easting GDA 94 (m) |
Northing GDA 94 (m) |
From (m) |
To (m) |
Intercept (m) |
Ni (%) |
Cu (ppm) |
Pd+Pt (ppb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARC018 | 413352 | 6621461 | NSR* DHTEM Conductor recorded | |||||
| ARC019 | 413300 | 6621830 | 32 | 47 | 15 | 0.60 | 301 | 133 |
| 58 | 59 | 1 | 0.46 | 174 | 72 | |||
| 62 | 65 | 3 | 0.40 | 124 | 49 | |||
| 76 | 80 | 4 | 0.41 | 140 | 51 | |||
| 92 | 95 | 3 | 0.42 | 360 | 112 | |||
| ARC020 | 413484 | 6621705 | 5 | 41 | 36 | 0.66 | 392 | 59 |
| with | 9 | 15 | 6 | 1.12 | 1573 | 169 | ||
| ARC021 | 413411 | 6621663 | 0 | 43 | 43 | 0.70 | 48 | 43 |
| ARC022 | 413588 | 6621724 | 80 | 83 | 3 | 0.42 | 230 | 66 |
| 94 | 97 | 3 | 0.57 | 280 | 166 | |||
| ARC023 | 413548 | 6621663 | 6 | 20 | 14 | 0.61 | 420 | 100 |
| 33 | 36 | 3 | 0.40 | 51 | 47 | |||
| 81 | 114 | 33 | 0.56 | 330 | 54 | |||
| ARC024 | 413516 | 6621610 | 3 | 39 | 36 | 0.54 | 179 | 52 |
| ARC025 | 413659 | 6621686 | 113 | 116 | 3 | 0.44 | 430 | 54 |
| 119 | 121 | 2 | 0.43 | 161 | 98 | |||
| 130 | 131 | 1 | 0.47 | 335 | 34 | |||
| 137 | 140 | 3 | 0.49 | 141 | 50 | |||
| ARC026 | 413629 | 6621607 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0.43 | 69 | 32 |
| 19 | 23 | 4 | 0.42 | 159 | 25 | |||
| ARC027 | 413720 | 6621582 | 87 | 88 | 1 | 0.43 | 150 | 96 |
| 95 | 99 | 4 | 0.74 | 416 | 257 | |||
| with | 97 | 98 | 1 | 1.15 | 400 | 301 | ||
| ARC031 | 414060 | 6621190 | 15 | 33 | 18 | 0.54 | 446 | 102 |
| ARC032 | 413885 | 6621233 | 16 | 41 | 25 | 0.48 | 164 | 118 |
| 59 | 60 | 1 | 0.52 | 175 | 169 | |||
| ARC033 | 413738 | 6621290 | 74 | 75 | 1 | 0.42 | 87 | 109 |
| 80 | 82 | 2 | 0.87 | 713 | 114 | |||
| with | 81 | 82 | 1 | 1.23 | 1020 | 16 | ||
| ARC034 | 413050 | 6621855 | 110 | 111 | 1 | 0.51 | 585 | 177 |
| 176 | 178 | 2 | 0.87 | 78 | 265 | |||
| ARC035 | 413167 | 6621875 | 138 | 139 | 1 | 0.45 | 161 | 102 |
| 143 | 144 | 1 | 0.51 | 100 | 104 | |||
| ARC036 | 413352 | 6621471 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 0.45 | 48 | 22 |
|
NSR No significant Result. Highlighted intercepts indicate a 1.0% Ni cut off; all other intercepts have a 0.4% Ni cut off. |
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3D modelling of disseminated nickel sulphide intercepts will resolve the geometry of the plunging shoots and facilitate future drill targeting.
The model will also form the basis of a mineral resource for the project, and samples from the drilling will be submitted for metallurgical extraction test work.
Project Summary
Geological Setting
The project is hosted within a sequence of west facing, east dipping mafic and ultramafic lavas with interbedded felsic and sedimentary rocks. At least four komatiite packages are present within the overall project area, with the western-most hosting nickel sulphide mineralisation, including the Acra deposit.
The Acra nickel sulphide deposit is located within channel facies, olivine cumulate rocks which have undergone varying degrees of talc carbonate alteration. The geology at Acra is complex, with the basal contact overturned.
Exploration Activity
The Acra project mineralisation was discovered during the "Nickel Boom" period of 1967 to 1975, and was again explored to a lesser extent for nickel and gold exploration from the mid 1980s to early 1990s.
Within Pioneer's tenement, two areas were highlighted after extensive mapping and gossan sampling.
- The Acra prospect, where testing of the northern basal contact of a serpentinite returned a best sulphide intersection of 0.27m assaying 4.36% Ni in AD-004
- The Jubilee prospect where a strongly anomalous gossan led to a program of eight trenches, 33 percussion drill holes and one diamond drill hole.
Pioneer's advantage over earlier explorers stems from advancements in TEM technology and especially DHTEM, with 3 directional probes now available. As a priority Pioneer is in the process of framing out the disseminated nickel sulphide mineralisation and channel orientation. Drill holes will form a platform from which DHTEM surveys can be conducted.
Work completed at Acra by Pioneer includes:
- A 274 MLTEM programme which provided a drill target;
- A 274 geochemical sample programme which resulted in two drill targets;
- 4 Reverse Circulation drill holes; and
- DHTEM surveys of six drill holes
Drilling intercepts for Acra include:
| Hole ID | Easting Local (m) |
Northing Local (m) |
From (m) |
To (m) |
Intercept (m) |
Ni (%) |
Cu (%) |
Pd+Pt (ppb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA-002 | 21,166 | 13,596 | 32.0 | 42.0 | 10.0 | 0.94 | 0.06 | |
| AA-007 | 21,071 | 13,737 | 26.0 | 28.0 | 2.0 | 1.26 | 0.07 | |
| AA-055 | 21,480 | 13,392 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 1.05 | 0.03 | |
| ACD-001 | 21,646 | 13,566 | 250.0 | 251.0 | 1.0 | 1.18 | 0.01 | |
| AD-004 | 21,665 | 12,833 | 72.2 | 71.5 | 0.3 | 4.36 | 0.40 | |
| AD-013 | 21,545 | 13,523 | 74.7 | 145.2 | 70.5 | 0.44 | 0.01 | |
| Including | 74.7 | 75.0 | 0.3 | 1.30 | 0.06 | |||
| and | 93.9 | 94.0 | 0.2 | 2.83 | 0.06 | |||
| and | 145.1 | 145.2 | 0.1 | 1.26 | 0.01 | |||
| ARC-003 | 21,625 | 13,490 | 132.0 | 200.0 | 68.0 | 0.44 | 0.02 | |
| Including | 138.0 | 140.0 | 2.0 | 1.00 | 0.05 | |||
| ARC015 | 21,828 | 3,656 | 220.0 | 240.0 | 21.0 | 0.60 | 0.06 | 0.154 |
| Including | 235.0 | 236.0 | 1.0 | 1.07 | 0.05 | 0.271 | ||
| ARC016 | 21,773 | 3,739 | 247.0 | 251.0 | 4.0 | 0.52 | 0.04 | 0.25 |
| ARC017 | 21,880 | 3,571 | 201.0 | 220.0 | 19.0 | 0.60 | 0.04 | 0.224 |
| Including | 201.0 | 203.0 | 2.0 | 1.26 | 0.09 | 0.399 |
Jubilee Prospect
Introduction
The Jubilee prospect is located 60km ENE of Kalgoorlie in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia and 5km NW along strike from Acra.
The project has as a focus a Nickel Sulphide gossan and ultramafic channel rocks.
Latest Development by Pioneer
Following the completion of a MLTEM and detailed FLTEM survey, a single drill hole was completed to further evaluate an indicated conductor.
Geological units intersected were dominated by ultramafic rocks considered prospective for nickel sulphide mineralisation.
Drilling and a DHTEM survey did not explain the conductor and further field work is planned.
Boomerang Lake Prospect
Introduction
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Boomerang Lake provides tenure to a 110km strike of mafic and ultramafic rocks of the Gindalbie Terrain. The project includes possible strike extensions to the ultramafic rocks that host Pioneer's Acra and Jubilee prospects, and also ultramafics of the Emu Lake nickel sulphide prospect, a joint venture between Jubilee Mines NL and Image Resources NL.
The project has been sporadically explored for gold and base metals, but there is no record of specific nickel exploration. A zinc-lead prospect occurs within the project.
Latest Development by Pioneer
Pioneer has been approached by a party seeking to earn an interest in the project. Terms of a possible agreement have been drafted.
