Australia-based exploration and development company Thor Mining completed the second phase of drilling at its Ragged Range project, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, in July.

Owing to the territory being unexplored, a systematic exploration programme was conducted, starting with mapping, stream sediment sampling, soil sampling and a drilling programme.

“We are working in an unexplored yet highly fertile jurisdiction in the eastern Pilbara region in close proximity to high tonnage gold and lithium deposits. We are optimistic and believe that we have key regional structures and the right lithologies to host structurally controlled gold,” says Thor Mining MD Nicole Galloway Warland.

The drilling project was a 3 000 m reverse circulation programme predominantly targeting the company’s Sterling gold and Krona nickel/copper prospects.

The Sterling prospect is within a 13 km structurally controlled gold corridor, and the company is following up on geochemical targets and key structural targets in areas where the company had identified dilatational zones that could potentially host gold mineralisation.

Galloway Warland says the project milestones have been the systematic geochemical sampling programmes returning up to 2.2 g/t gold in high-grade stream sediments and rock chips, with gold being found in outcrop up to 6 g/t gold.

She adds, however, that Covid-19 border restrictions and labour shortages have impacted on the drilling project and caused longer turnaround times at laboratories where the samples were analysed.

Galloway Warland notes that laboratory analyses now take more than six to eight weeks, causing the company to wait up to two months before receiving the assays, which are then interpreted and used to develop follow-up drill programmes.

Thor Mining also drilled one drill hole at its Krona prospect, testing a recently identified electromagnetic (EM) conductor beneath a nickel gossan. The company is going to do a downhole EM survey in the upcoming weeks to provide lateral extensions for the EM conductor at depth.

Meanwhile, the company is awaiting assay results from its Ragged Range drilling programme, with an airborne magnetic survey conducted in late July over the north-eastern portion of its tenure.

Similarly, at its copper/gold Kelly prospect, the scheduled airborne magnetic survey will assist with lithological and structural interpretation so that the company can start target generation for a drilling programme.

The Ragged Range programme is its flagship project and Galloway Warland says the company will continue to drill test the Krona and Sterling prospects while progressing the project.

Other Projects

Initial work on Thor Mining’s Alford East copper project, in Southern Australia, has shown favourable results when assessing the project for the in situ recovery of copper and gold.

The company is continuing hydrometallurgical and hydrogeology assessments by conducting monthly pumps testing on site to gain a greater understanding of the groundwater characteristics and hydrogeology parameters of the copper/gold deposit.

“We hope to be back on the ground later this year to do a follow-up diamond drilling to further develop that project. We are on track for the two-year timeframe we initially set out for the project; we need to continue our assessment and increase our copper and gold recoveries to commercial levels,” says Galloway Warland.

She explains that there is a short- and long-term supply deficit for copper, as increased demand for renewable energy has, consequently, increased the demand for copper.

This makes in situ recovery beneficial, as the company anticipates that it can achieve production faster than if it pursues the development of a traditional underground or opencut mine.

Galloway Warland says Thor Mining is focused on exploring for commodities, such as copper and uranium, that will be in high demand in the future.

“Our corporate strategy is to progress our projects and, in turn, create value for our shareholders through exploration discoveries and development. We are aware of the demand or supply chain shortage in the commodity space we are focused on.”

Consequently, Thor Mining is also expected to start drilling later this year on its uranium and vanadium project in the Uravan mineral belt in Colorado, in the US.

“This uranium and vanadium province was a large producer of uranium and vanadium up to the late 1960s and we feel there is a lot of opportunity to advance this project with our upcoming drilling programme and generate a resource moving forward,” she concludes.