In the lead up to its upcoming maiden drilling campaign, ScandiVanadium Limited (ASX:SVD) has commenced a high-resolution helicopter electro-magnetic (HEM) survey over the company’s 100% owned Pascalle Gold Project.

The Pascalle Gold Project is located in the heart of the Paterson Province in Western Australia, one of the most sought-after exploration districts in the state.

Renewed exploration in the region has resulted in some major discoveries in recent years including Greatland Gold’s (AIM: GGP) Havieron discovery, Rio Tinto’s Winu discovery, alongside Newcrest Mining’s (ASX:NCM) 32Moz Telfer Mine and processing plant.

Based on the early work to date, SVD’s Pascalle Gold Project looks highly prospective for Telfer, Havieron and Winu style gold-copper deposits.

The recent discoveries by Rio Tinto at Winu and Greatland Gold at Havieron have demonstrated the importance of geophysical surveys in aiding discovery of tier one gold copper prospects in the region — SVD is now following the same process

HEM geophysical survey

In this first phase, the high-resolution geophysical surveying will provide detailed geological information and allow three-dimensional modelling of targeted anomalies. This leads into the design of a maiden drill program which is expected to commence in the coming months.

Anticipated to take six to seven days, the high-resolution geophysical survey will be conducted with the NRG flying Xcite^TM HEM system at 100m line spacing.

The system provides uninterrupted ‘soundings’ from near surface to >300m depth of investigation, sufficient to see through Permian cover and reveal conductivity anomalies in the basement rock beneath.

It will simultaneously collect high resolution conductivity data and infilling historic magnetic survey.

The shallow depth to basement for the Pascalle Project enhances the effectiveness of the survey.

HEM systems have previously been successful in identifying mineralisation in Paterson Province, including at Rio Tinto’s (ASX:RIO) Winu deposit.

The company’s Executive Chairman, David Frances, explained that “the system selected is the same as was involved in the discovery of Winu beneath similar depths of cover and will be vital in the planning of our maiden drilling campaign in H2 2020”.

Winu is a high tonnage copper discovery made by Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) in the Paterson Province in 2017, where Rio recently a released maiden Inferred Mineral Resource. Rio has also revealed the discovery of a new zone of gold dominant mineralisation approximately two kilometres east of the Winu deposit.

The Pascalle Project sits between Newcrest’s 32Moz Telfer Mine and processing plant, 20 kilometres to the west, and Greatland’s Havieron discovery, located 14 kilometres east.

Havieron has consistently delivered spectacular drill results including 275m at 4.8g/t gold and 0.6% copper.

Here you can see a recent Airborne ElectroMagnetic survey at Greatland Gold’s nearby landholding:

While still in possession of its European vanadium assets, the company is now squarely focused on exploration at its newly acquired WA projects — the Pascalle Gold Project in the Paterson Province, plus the Gnama Nickel Project in the Fraser Range.

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