Three examples of modern exploration for nickel in the Kimberley region

IGO's Kimberley project spans from Yampi Sound in the west to Lake Argyle in the east, encompassing both, underexplored Western areas and extensively explored Eastern zones. The company employs varied exploration strategies tailored to each region's geological setting and available data. In the East Kimberley, IGO focuses on leveraging historical open file datasets to pinpoint exploration targets. By prioritising areas with anomalous geochemical and geophysical signatures, ground EM surveys are used to refine targets for drilling. The Winston prospect is one example of this approach, where despite encountering a challenging electrical environment, a unique survey geometry was developed to assess the gossanous zones. While economic mineralisation wasn't found, the process highlighted the value of integrating historical data with modern geophysical methods. Conversely, in the less explored West Kimberley, IGO utilises comprehensive large-scale geophysical surveys like AEM to identify anomalies swiftly. Subsequent ground EM surveys validate these anomalies, as seen at the Skarloey prospect, where drilling confirmed the presence of massive sulphides. This success validated the exploration strategy and geological interpretation. In the West Kimberley, at the Dogleg prospect, systematic MLEM surveys over prospective intrusions were crucial in identifying a strong late-time anomaly, typical of massive Ni sulphides. Drilling successfully intersected mineralisation, demonstrating the efficacy of ground EM in detecting concealed deposits. IGO's approach across these case studies showcases a blend of historical data analysis, large-scale geophysical surveys, and targeted ground EM tailored to each region's geological characteristics. While not all targets lead to economic discoveries, their systematic and adaptive strategies have proven effective in confirming prospectivity and making significant mineral discoveries in the Kimberley region.