PTX Metals (TSXV: PTX) has restarted a 5,000 metre diamond drilling program at its W2 copper-nickel-PGE project in northwestern Ontario, resuming field work that was paused in January to allow for further discussions with First Nations communities connected to the project area.
The drilling is concentrated in the underexplored Central area of the property and targets the CA1 Zone, a copper-nickel target in the south and southeastern portion of W2. A detailed exploration strategy is expected in the coming weeks.
A soil sampling and prospecting program is running alongside the drilling through the summer and fall, covering the Central area along with the T-Target, Lake Rowell and North Limb areas. That work will feed into the company’s geological model and refine targets for future drilling.
The targets sit within the Landsdowne House Igneous Complex, where the gabbroic Middle Zone hosts most of the magmatic copper-nickel mineralization identified to date. Two styles have been recognized, a platinum group element-dominated potential reef layer in the upper part of the zone, and copper-nickel mineralization associated with net-textured and semi-massive to massive sulphides near the base. PTX compares the setting to layered intrusions including South Africa’s Bushveld complex and other Ring of Fire intrusions.
The complex also carries hydrothermal and possible shear-hosted mineralization, with occurrences spanning iron-titanium-vanadium, gold and copper-gold in addition to the copper-nickel-PGE currently being tested.
Work is proceeding under a recently extended exploration permit granted after a Crown consultation process. First Nations businesses continue to supply exploration services, training and supplies at site.
“W2 is moving forward, both in the field and through the relationships we have worked hard to build,” said president and chief executive officer Greg Ferron.
Metallurgical testing has advanced in parallel. A locked cycle test completed in August at SGS Lakefield recovered 97% of the copper into a concentrate grading 28% copper, 7.2 g/t palladium and 0.8 g/t gold. The nickel circuit was excluded from that test.
PTX Metals last traded at $0.085 on the TSX Venture.
