Mineral exploration company Kingfisher Mining has commenced co-funded diamond drilling at Mick Well carbonatite targets in the Gascoyne region of WA. 

Kingfisher has received $200,000 in co-funding for the drilling as part of the Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) funded by the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS). 

The drilling activities at Mick Well have already begun and will take around one month to complete. According to the company, two diamond holes, totalling about 1,200m, are planned.  

Kingfisher non-executive chairman Warren Hallam said: “The programme integrates the geophysical targets within an area surrounded by high grade [rare earth elements] REE mineralisation, and the carbonatite targets are potentially the source of REE mineralisation at depth.” 

Kingfisher is currently reviewing historic base metal occurrences at Mick Well. Recent on-ground surface sampling has revealed high-grade copper values ranging from 1.73% to 15.3% copper. 

Kingfisher has discovered three large carbonatite pipe targets at Mick Well, below its high-grade vein and dyke REE mineralisation. The exploration company stated that these targets were identified using three-dimensional modelling of the company's gravity and magnetics data, focusing on areas with denser and more magnetic rocks.  

The carbonatite pipe targets are located in the centre of the area of outcropping carbonatites and associated fenite alteration at Mick Well. The co-funded drilling will target the central and eastern pipes, with additional drilling planned in other locations. 

The EIS is a WA State Government initiative to promote exploration, support the sustainability of the state’s resources sector and meet the demand for critical minerals during the shift to a net-zero energy system. 

A key component of the EIS is the co-funded exploration drilling programme, a competitive programme that accepts applications twice a year. This programme provides up to a 50% refund for innovative exploration drilling projects, with specific caps on the amounts. 

“The successful awarding of co-funding vindicates the high-quality targets and technical work of the Kingfisher team to date… In addition to the co-funded drilling, the company is on the ground evaluating the base metal opportunities within the company’s tenement package,” Hallam said.