Chalice’s Gonneville deposit just keeps growing

Chalice Mining has extended its Gonneville critical minerals project in Western Australia.

In a recent step-out drilling campaign, the Tim Goyder-backed miner intercepted wide zones of high-grade copper and platinum group elements. Results bode well for the project, expanding the deposit to the north-west, and enhancing its underground potential.

Significant results, all outside of the project’s current resource, include:

• An 8.0m intercept at 5.83 grams per tonne (g/t) 3E (platinum, palladium and gold), 0.15 per cent nickel (Ni), 1.12 per cent copper (Cu), 0.01 per cent cobalt (Co) from a depth of 543m
• A 14.0m intercept at 5.72g/t 3E, 0.19 per cent Ni, 0.36 per cent Cu, 0.02 per cent Co from a depth of 1096m
• A 16.0m intercept at 6.17g/t 3E, 0.21 per cent Ni, 0.15 per cent Cu, 0.02 per cent Co from a depth of 478m.

The resource model is currently being revaluated to include recent drill results, and is expected in the first quarter of 2024.

Chalice has indicated that another near-term focus is improving feed grades, which will result in higher metallurgical recoveries.

Gonneville is not expected to reach commercial production levels until 2029, but when operational, will produce a suite of green energy metals.

Gonneville ranks as Australia’s second-largest nickel sulphide deposit, after BHP’s Musgrave Range project.

Chalice aims to concentrate platinum group metals and copper into a copper concentrate, with around 25 per cent copper content and 100 to 150 grams per ton of platinum group elements.