Illaara and the Yampi area both show potential for VMS/or related base metal deposits. Exploration for these seems to follow a pattern whereby there is some initial success that identifies an area as having potential. This may include economic deposit(s) - usually does followed by exploration that may or may not yield more.
WA examples
Golden Grove - Gossan Hill Cu 1970s lead to the discovery of Scuddles Zn 1980s and Gossan Hill Zn 1990s Gossan Valley Zn 2000s.
Teutonic Bore (NE of Leonora) Cu/Zn 1970s with Jaguar Bentley 2000s.
Canada
Multiple small Zn/Cu near Timmins in the 1950s. INCO used a massive EM anomaly to test their AEM system after leaving Timmins Airport on their way to look for Ni/Cu deposits further out. Texas Gulf Sulphur had flown their own AEM survey and were systematically drill testing targets. #55 (?) was the target INCO tested. Legend says the drill geo went out in the evening and saw massive graphite which explained the EM target. BUT TGS policy was to drill through the anomaly. By the end of the hole there was some 200m at around 8% Zn Pb etc. They are down to 3000m or so at the Kidd Creek Mine some 60 years later.
[PS on this: the Crawford Ni Cu deposit was drilled by INCO following their AEM survey (probably - don't know details).
This is likely to become a bulk mine for Canada Ni Coy. in the next decade with over a billion tonnes of low grade Ni Cu +.]
Expertise combined with a good modicum of luck can be rewarded with persistence. The examples above give some idea of the process.
I will trot out these PDFs prepared for another company but hopefully general enough to be applicable to VMS exploration in WA.
golden-grove-memories-pdf.4220234.pdfmeleya-mag-and-geoview-data-pdf.4222163.pdfvms-deposits-pdf.4238821.pdfFor Illaara VMS exploration has been IMO superficial so far. Doesn't mean a lack of effort but it does seem to have been exploration for the "sore thumbs" - easy to find deposits which haven't jumped out unless the recent drilling gives good assays. The recent visuals seem to be of traces of Cu Zn Pb in variably sulphide rich zones. Teasers that require follow up locally and along strike but that is the nature of exploration for VMS deposits. The zones are strike extensive which means aerial geophysics (EM/Mag/Gravity) and follow up with aircore in the absence of any obvious targets. Rodney/Warspite/Bismark/Reindler results will feed into the mix.
No easy answer as to whether success will be the end result. For Illaara they have many potential commodities all of which could make the project viable. VMS exploration, as mentioned above, would extend into the search for Ni. Drilling for VMS/Au has already tested some areas for Li/Ta and shown pegmatites to be widespread in southern Illaara. Fe is probably quite well constrained by existing magnetics but more detail mag may help.
I do like the VMS/Beshi/Sedex potential of the Yampi project when combined with the lack of exploration below some very juicy looking 'sore thumbs'. The Wet is coming to an end so access becomes easier/possible to get the auger rig in for geochem and subsequent RC/?AC.
Still got to do a lot of work to get up to speed on Mangaroon and Yampi. Certainly very exciting exploration this year. However, there is no guarantee of success at this stage. Good chance Orion will extend to depth as a plunging shoot but its size may preclude it being a standalone economic deposit. These deposits do cluster so a combination of several may make the grade if a Kidd Creek doesn't get intersected.
(20min delay)