FPX Nickel has started a 4,000m diamond drilling programme at its Advocate Nickel Property in north-central Newfoundland, Canada.
The campaign will target two areas within the site, Birchy North and Wolverine, where previous surveys and sampling have indicated the presence of recoverable awaruite nickel mineralisation.
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It aims to investigate the Birchy North area across approximately 1.2km of a defined 2.6km × 700m zone and the core section of the Wolverine target, which features a 7km-long high-magnetic zone up to 1km wide.
Earlier bedrock and surface sampling at Birchy North and Wolverine returned Davis Tube Recoverable (DTR) nickel values of up to 0.13% and 0.14%, respectively.
The recent drilling campaign follows an airborne magnetic survey conducted by Abitibi Geophysics, which covered more than 30km of ultramafic rocks along the Advocate Complex.
The magnetic data, collected with line spacings of 50m and more detailed 25m lines over target areas, totalled 2,226 line kilometres.
FPX exploration vice-president Keith Patterson said: “The Advocate drill programme marks an important milestone in our global generative alliance with JOGMEC [Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security].
“The large-scale, high-grade awaruite targets at Birchy North and Wolverine are similar in size and surface DTR nickel grades to those at the Baptiste deposit, and we look forward to confirming Advocate mineralisation with the drill bit.”
The company reported that total nickel values in ultramafic rock samples from across the property range between 0.18% and 0.30%, averaging 0.23%.
These values are said to be consistent with background levels observed in similar rock types globally, but high DTR nickel values in target zones suggest awaruite with grain sizes suitable for magnetic recovery.
The Advocate Nickel Property encompasses 12,175 hectares and is situated between Deer Lake and Baie Verte.
Access to the site is via a network of logging roads, located 5–10km from major highways. The vendor associated with the property operates a deep-sea port at Pine Cove, roughly 50km north-east of the site.
FPX Nickel stated that drill-hole positions and directions at Birchy North and Wolverine may change significantly from initial plans, depending on findings during fieldwork.
