In Western Australia, Noble has one Exploration Licence (E70/3295) and holds another second Exploration Licence (E70/3278) for a total of 381km2 within the Jimperding Igneous complex (JIC) in the South West Mineral Field of Western Australia. The licences are located 195 km North- Northeast of Perth, and approximately 48 km east of Moora. Access is via the Great Northern Highway from Moora to the Western portion of the tenements at Bindi Bindi. Access within the tenements is by well-maintained farming property tracks.
The Bindi Bindi Licences are prospective for Ni-Cu-PGE mineralisation with evidence of the mineralisation from previous exploration in the favourable host rocks in the project area.
Geology
The tenements are located in a suite of Archean-aged rocks which extend from just south of York to north of Moora, a distance of more than 250 km. This Complex, comprises largely quartzite, metasedimentary gneisses, migmatites and intrusive mafic-ultramafic rocks in structurally complicated setting. The mafic-ultramafic rock types are very poorly exposed, which previously precluded conventional prospecting by rock-chip sampling. The Archean basement comprises quartz-feldspar-biotite gneiss, quartz-mica schist and coarse-grained metaquartzite. The mafic-ultramafic bodies strike north-northwest and dip 20º to 30º towards the east.
Although laterite and soil cover most of this Complex, exploration to date has identified primary nickel-copper-iron (Ni-Cu-Fe) sulphide mineralisation at a number of locations within the Complex. Primary Platinum Group Elements (PGE) approaching economic concentrations have also been recorded in the area. As such, previous exploration demonstrates the potential of the Complex as prospective for both primary PGE and Ni-Cu-Fe sulphide mineralisation. This mineralisation style is primarily hosted by a mafic-ultramafic suite within the JIC.
Although the immediate tenement area is also largely soil covered, there is evidence of underlying Archean metamorphic schists, gneisses and layered ultramafic rocks of the JIC, specifically, the Berkshire Valley Succession. This is based on the occurrence of rock types identified to the west of the project area, including ultramafic, granite, gneiss, pegmatite and dolerite.
Previous Work
Minor quarrying of asbestiform anthophyllite was completed west of Bindi Bindi, and most of the recorded exploration has largely been confined to the west of Noble’s Bindi Bindi Project (Maynard, 2005). For five months between 1997 and 1998, Stockdale Prospecting Ltd explored the Bindi Bindi Project area for diamond bearing ultramafic intrusions. One drill hole was completed, targeting a single magnetic anomaly. The hole intersected alternating serpentinised peridotite and quartz feldspar gneiss. No analysis for Ni or Cu was conducted.
Exploration for nickel sulphides by Poseidon in 1968 was localised west of Noble’s Bindi Bindi Project area. This comprised magnetic traverses, rock-chip sampling, auger soil sampling, deep auger drilling and, finally, percussion drilling to a maximum depth of 30m. Significant results from this work identified a copper-in-soil anomaly striking for 7 km to the north of the Bindi Bindi town site, with values of 580ppm Cu encountered against background values of <50ppm Cu (Maynard, 2005). Follow-up drilling of this anomaly returned above-background copper and nickel values up to 720ppm Cu and 1340ppm Ni (Maynard, 2005). A second anomalous zone, hosted in an inferred ultramafic horizon, contained a number of targets, of which only a few have been investigated by shallow drilling and surface sampling. The best result from surface sampling was 6.5 m averaging 0.83% Ni. Significant drilling results included 7.6m at 0.63% Ni, 6 m at 0.73% Ni and 20m at 0.58% Ni (Maynard, 2005). The lateral and along-strike potential of these anomalous ultramafic units remained untested when Poseidon discontinued exploration at Bindi Bindi, due to commitments following its nickel discovery at Windarra.
In 2000, Palladium formed a joint venture with Murchison to further investigate the area west of Noble’s Bindi Bindi Licences. Work completed comprised a literature review of past open file exploration data, together with a limited program of rock-chip sampling. Significant values included up to 4670 ppm Ni and 788 Cu (REF) which suggests the presence of ultramafic host rocks with the potential to host copper/nickel and possibly PGE mineralisation.
Based largely on the drilling by Stockdale Prospecting Ltd, Noble has interpreted that similar host rocks to those explored by Poseidon and Palladium west of their Bindi Bindi Licence, are located within its Licence.