Agreed Geofiji. And if the upthrown fault interpretation is correct, this is massively positive. We still have the Minyari Deeps, but they are repeated at very shallow, easily accessible depth. They are much closer to surface and can be drilled out, and potentially mined at much lower cost.
And the fact is with a mineralising system of this scale and intensity, the system won't just suddenly die out at depth. That is the underlying source of the Minyari mineralisation is, and the overlying sulphidic breccia vein characteristics indicate that it is a vigorous underlying system. So if the deeps are not where expected, directly under the shallower mineralisation, then they will have been structurally displaced, probably to somewhere close by, most likely by a localised fault. Ask any miner. or underground mine geologist. All orebodies get chopped up and moved around by faults. And driving across the offsetting fault then drilling or cross-cutting on the other side to find the offset orebody is very common practice.
If this is a 'normal' fault, as shown on the P6 cross section in the announcement, and if it has 'brought the deeps up' closer to the surface (or in fact has actually, down-thrown and thus preserved the original Minyari discovery, which would have otherwise been eroded), then it is working enormously in our favor. There is no appallingly expensive Havieron-style deep drilling required. The Deeps are there at the surface. Sitting right next to the upper part of the Minyari orebody. But the market e will be geologically out of its depth and will not be able to understand or believe the significance of this.
The next question in my mind is: what is the cover situation at Minyari North, and how has this hidden the upthrown 'Deeps'? And when I look at the cross section on page 6, I see the answer. The 'Deep' do not actually 'daylight' at surface. They are cut off at shallow depth by the interpreted normal fault plane. Which is why they haven't been picked up by soil sampling or shallow aircore drilling. They come close to the surface, but not close enough to be picked up by soil geochemistry or shallow reconnaissance drilling.
And the other bit of the jigsaw puzzle that is falling into place is that intriguing down-plunge IP anomaly we have seen on so many previous versions of this cross section. That always looked too shallow to be the projected down-dip continuation of the Minyari Deeps, but it is in EXACTLY the right place to be the up-dip termination of the deeps against the interpreted normal fault. It is now a very credible drilling target. They will drill it, and I bet it will be mineralised!
Back to work for me!
I wonder if GEO-01 and GP01 could simply be further southerly down-thrown repetitions of the same mineralisation, by a series of offsetting normal faults, as shown below. A simple and common explanation is always a good one.
And once again, 'The market always knows..'
AZY Price at posting:
1.9¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
(20min delay)