I continue to think that the Fraser Range nickel/copper play has...

I continue to think that the Fraser Range nickel/copper play has a long way to run yet. Recent developments include SIR identifying a new conductor some 20km to the W of Nova. If that proves to be mineralised, it opens up a whole new trend. We have also seen SFX and BUX report the results of Heli VTEM, which both show interesting anomalies. And we know that other companies have either completed Heli VTEM surveys (MAT) or are likely to take advantage of the rig being in the area. Further, SIR is now testing other conductors beyond Conductor 1 that yielded the Nova discovery.

By my count there are perhaps 19 plays relating to the Fraser Range nickel/copper potential one way or another. And that is not counting AGG and Teck, both of which have interests in the area. Nor is it counting the extensive areas held by Mark Creasy private interests that could pop up in new IPO's, or alternatively in companies in which MC holds interests such as SIR and LEG. As well, I could easily have missed some.

With so many companies devoting analytical energy and funds to this emerging hot spot, it seems likely that we will see new discoveries. While there are differences in the geological setting, it is instructive to consider how the Kambalda area has kept producing new deposits and extensions to old deposits for more than 40 years. And I think that what we have seen so far at Fraser Range is just the beginning.

I have attempted to rank the 19 companies identified by the degree to which they share characteristics in common with SIR - stratigraphy, mineralised trends, structural elements, geochem and geophysics.

The clearest trends with potential are those trending NE from the Nova discovery. Best ranked of those companies (apart from SIR and Creasy private interests) are BOA and BUX, with BFE perhaps covering some of the high potential ground.

There seem to be some interesting trends generally running S of the Nova discovery. Best ranked of those companies (apart from SIR and MC) would appear to be MAT and SFX.

MAT has a small tenement to the NE of the new SIR anomaly 20km W of Nova, and RMR has ground that is parallel to that SIR trend.

ENT, THR, AAQ, AQD, BDR, HRR, PIO and MPJ all have ground in the area that may be related to the prospective geology, and newly listed MC vehicle WIN has ground further to the SW.

Other companies with interesting potential not so directly related to the Fraser Range belt are SGQ, WCN, ORO.

One of the interesting aspects of the Nova discovery is that it seems to be suggesting that mineralisation is associated with favourable stratigraphy and structure (both of which can be mapped using detailed magnetics and other tools) and have associated geochem and geophysical (particularly EM and IP) anomalies. Now that Nova is showing what those associations are, it should not take long for the explorers to identify other settings that could be prospective. For that reason we can expect that if there are other deposits in the area (this style of deposit occurs in clusters in other parts of the world) they will be discovered fairly quickly.

Given the large number of players, and rapid expenditure, I think that we could see further very interesting newsflow in the area quite soon.

DYOR. Appreciate comments/input/critique especially from geologists/geophysicist who know much more about the area than I do.

Holding AAQ, BFE, BOA, BUX, HRR, MAT, ORO, SFX, SGQ, WCN, WIN. Did hold SIR. With my luck the next discovery will likely be on ground held by one of the companies I don't own!!