Pardoo Nickel Project
Advanced nickel sulphide project featuring the Highway Deposit alongside regional exploration targets
Project Overview
The Pardoo Project lies close to existing infrastructure east of Port Hedland and covers tenure prospective for nickel, copper and platinum group elements. Its most advanced prospect is the Highway Deposit, located directly alongside the Great Northern Highway, making it uniquely positioned for future development.
The Highway Deposit is a shallow, disseminated nickel sulphide system with drill intersections including 95m @ 0.40% Ni and 14m @ 1.0% Ni, confirming the potential for a significant mineralised body. The deposit has been successfully upgraded to JORC 2012 Mineral Resource standards, with a significant portion now classified as Indicated Resource category. Importantly, elevated platinum group metals (PGMs) and copper have also been reported, highlighting the polymetallic character of the system.
Beyond the Highway Deposit, regional targets across the broader Pardoo tenure remain largely underexplored. Geophysical surveys and historic drilling indicate additional zones of nickel sulphide prospectivity within favourable stratigraphy, but systematic modern exploration has not been undertaken across the majority of the ground.
JORC 2012 Resource Upgrade
Highway Deposit - January 2024
Mineral Resource Estimate at 0.300% Ni Cut-off Grade
| Resource Category | Tonnes | Ni % | Cu % | Co % | Ni Tonnes | Cu Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indicated | 11,063,500 | 0.407 | 0.117 | 0.032 | 45,028 | 12,944 |
| Inferred | 5,399,800 | 0.408 | 0.116 | 0.032 | 22,031 | 6,263 |
| Total | 16,463,300 | 0.407 | 0.117 | 0.032 | 67,005 | 19,208 |
Table 1 - Highway Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate at 0.300% Ni cutoff grade
Resource Development
The Highway Deposit has been successfully upgraded to JORC 2012 standards with an updated Mineral Resource Estimate completed in December 2023 by independent mining consultant MEC Mining. The current estimate totals 16.5 Mt @ 0.407% Ni for 67,005t of nickel metal, with 11.1 Mt classified as Indicated Resource and 5.4 Mt as Inferred Resource.
The resource estimate utilized 78 drillholes totaling 13,670m, including 69 Reverse Circulation (RC) drillholes for 10,980m and 9 Diamond drillholes for 2,690m. This comprehensive drilling program has provided increased confidence in the deposit's geological and grade continuity.
Future Programs
This provides Mantle with the opportunity to test high-priority targets in parallel with advancing the Highway resource. Geophysical work continues to help target more high-grade nickel sulphide zones across the broader tenure.
With a combination of an established shallow deposit and a suite of underexplored regional prospects, Pardoo represents both a near-term development asset and a longer-term growth opportunity within Mantle's portfolio.