Blackstone Minerals intersects up to 3% nickel, 2.1% copper and 3.4 g/t PGE in maiden holes at Ban Chang

Blackstone Minerals Ltd (ASX:BSX) has intersected massive sulphide nickel over a 1-kilometre strike in three maiden drill holes at Ban Chang prospect, which is part of its Ta Khoa Nickel-Copper-Platinum Group Elements (PGE) Project in Vietnam. The first hole (BC20-01) delivered results of 5.2 metres at 0.66% nickel, 0.73% copper, 0.04% cobalt and 0.79 g/t PGE from 58 metres and 1.5 metres at 2.2% nickel, 2.12% copper, 0.13% copper and 2.66 g/t PGE from 58.5 metres, including 1.05 metres at 2.98% nickel, 1.22% copper, 0.18% cobalt and 3.43 g/t PGE from 58.5 metres. Blackstone is testing high priority electromagnetic (EM) targets generated from 25 massive sulphide vein (MSV) prospects in the Ta Khoa nickel sulphide district. Shares are up almost 14% to 16.5 cents. Potential to add “high-grade feed” Managing director Scott Williamson said: “Ban Chang is one of the key prospects we are testing, which has potential to add high-grade feed to a bulk open pit mining scenario at Ban Phuc. “Our first assays at the prospect confirm a high-grade magmatic nickel sulphide vein with significant by-products including copper, cobalt, platinum and palladium. “When the by-products are included, the overall grades of the massive sulphides from Ban Chang are substantially higher than those successfully mined from the Ban Phuc massive sulphide mine during lower nickel prices. “We look forward to further results as we continue to drill test the 1.2-kilometre-long massive sulphide EM targets over the coming weeks.” Second drill rig to test EM targets Hole BC20-02 intersected 1.2 metres MSV from 87 metres more than 200 metres along strike of BC20-01 and BC20-03 intersected a 9.15 metre-wide-zone of sulphide vein mineralisation more than - kilometre from BC20-01. The drilling is part of an ongoing campaign to target regional MSV as Blackstone aims to build its resource inventory at Ta Khoa and supplement the Ban Phuc maiden resource, which is on track for completion in the September quarter of 2020. Blackstone’s second drill rig will continue to follow the in-house geophysics team throughout the Ta Khoa nickel sulphide district, testing high-priority EM targets generated from 25 MSV prospects including King Snake, Ban Khoa, Ban Chang and Ban Khang.