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Perth-based early explorer, Western Yilgarn (WYX), is primed to leverage its diverse tenement portfolio which resides entirely in the Yilgarn Craton, arguably Australia’s greatest nickel-PGE-gold address.
The company holds 13 exploration licenses of which three are under application. The licences are spread across five discrete projects in Western Australia. Empowered by a highly experienced management team, Western Yilgarn’s commitment to expansion and growth is well demonstrated.
Over the past quarter, Western Yilgarn has been making significant progress across its Julimar West PGE, Bulga, and Boodanoo projects.
WYX’s diverse portfolio
The company’s newly renamed Julimar West project spans ~349 square kilometres and is located 75 kilometres from Perth, along the western margin of the Yilgarn Craton.
The Yilgarn Craton is known to host numerous precious and base metal deposits, making it a highly prospective region for bauxite, PGE, nickel, and copper mineralisation.
Notably, Chalice Mining’s (CHN) Julimar deposit is also located in this region with its now world-famous Gonneville deposit less than 2500 metres from Western Yilgarn’s boundary.
Western Yilgarn General Manager Gavin Rutherford has recently mentioned the company’s eagerness to extend and capitalise on CHN’s excellent work in the area which, in turn, highlights the potential of the Julimar West project.
In the northern part of the Julimar West project, Western Yilgarn’s tenements are in proximity to Caspin Resources’ (CPN) Yarawindah Brook project.
Initial drilling in this area has revealed mafic and ultramafic rocks with significant levels of PGE, nickel and copper. In addition, gold cannot yet be discounted.
The company received notification from the Department of Mines, Industry, Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) that its exploration licence agreement for this project is soon to be granted, highlighting positive developments for Western Yilgarn.
The Bulga project has expanded from three to six contiguous exploration licenses, now covering a surface area of ~477 square kilometres.
Testing the long-accepted theory that Bulga was principally comprised of granite, two rounds of initial portable X-Ray fluorescence soils sampling on four of Bulga’s six leases confirmed nickel, copper, and pathfinders for LCT pegmatites in multiple locations. This pioneering work on Bulga along the Ida Fault has changed opinions on the geology and provided a strong incentive to keep exploring.
Bulga project is located around 840 kilometres northeast of Perth and 40 kilometres southwest of the town of Leinster in WA’s northern goldfields, which is known for hosting world-class nickel projects including Mt Keith, Cosmos, Leinster/Rockys Reward, Yackabindie and Sinclair. The now well-known Liontown/Kathleen Valley project is also resident in the address.
The region is also rich in gold resources, with several gold projects in the vicinity, including the two million ounce, Agnew Lawlers, and Bellevue, mines plus Thunderbox and the Wiluna Group.
Western Yilgarn recently reviewed historical data from BHP Group (BHP) and St George (SGQ), indicating broad zones of nickel mineralisation at Bulga.
The mineralisation was found through air-core and reverse circulation (RC) drilling programs totalling 24 holes. Assays returned up to 0.55 per cent nickel at 45 metres, including 20 metres of nickel at 0.83 per cent from 24 metres in one sample.
Following these results, WYX completed a phase two auger geochemistry infill program, sampling 22 target areas over 400-metre by 200-metre grids.
The company has sent more than 2000 samples to Intertek Laboratories for analysis and is planning its maiden RC drill campaign across freshly acquired tenements.
At the Boodanoo project, Western Yilgarn holds one exploration licence covering 39 square kilometres, focusing on exploring for gold and lithium mineralisation.
Located 90 kilometres south of Mount Magnet in the Mid-West region of WA, the project area is characterised by a concealed north-northeast trending fault.
Despite the lack of rock outcrops, the company completed an initial 234-hole auger geochemistry program, highlighting the project’s exciting potential.
Technical Advisor Beau Nichols said it was surprising to see such a significant response from the auger testing in an area that has not received past exploration.
“On the southern line we have actually identified a large anomaly with indicator elements to suggest there are lithium pegmatites below, now we will undertake additional work to consolidate these targets,” he said.
The company is planning to carry out further work, including infill auger programs and targeted drilling, to support subsequent aircore and RC drilling.
WYX’s experienced team
WYX underwent a name change in 2022 immediately following its relisting on the ASX. Since then, its new management team has delivered effective results to shareholders.
The company boasts seasoned executives with financial acumen and industry expertise, as well as a team of skilled geochemists, exploration geologists and geophysicists.
With the completion of RC and infill drilling at Bulga and ongoing exploration activities at Boodanoo, Western Yilgarn is well-positioned to establish itself as a leading mineral explorer in the nickel and PGE industry.
The company eagerly awaits access to its Julimar West project and is committed to utilising state-of-the-art exploration techniques to unlock further resource potential in the Pilbara region.
By capitalising on its diverse tenement package in Western Australia’s emerging mining regions, and with the support of its highly experienced team, Western Yilgarn is poised for success.
