Categories: Base Metals / Precious Metals
Topics: General Base Metals / General Precious Metals

Bravo Mining (TSX-V: BRVO)(OTC: BRVMF) President Simon Mottram on Lighting Up Massive Nickel Sulfides Like a Christmas Tree at Flagship Luanga PGM+Gold+Nickel Project, Brazil

 

Gerardo Del Real: This is Gerardo Del Real with Resource Stock Digest. Joining me today is the president of Bravo Mining — Mr. Simon Mottram. Simon, it is great to have you back on. We were overdue for an update. How are you today, sir?

Simon Mottram: Great, thanks, Gerardo. Good to be back on.

Gerardo Del Real: Well, listen, let's get right into it. I joked off air that things are getting really, really exciting and interesting, and you opined back that they've been interesting. And I don't want to put words in your mouth but I think we're both cautiously very optimistic about the progress at Luanga. 

You just had some news again with some excellent, excellent PGM results. But let me be honest, as a shareholder, what I am extremely excited about is the game-changing potential with this EM that's going to be run over the whole area of the Luanga Project, which is scheduled to begin, as I understand it, at the end of May. 

So a lot there. Let's start with the results. And then, let's definitely talk about the EM and the potential for another game-changing discovery at Luanga.

Simon Mottram: Absolutely. 

Gerardo Del Real: Let's start with the most recent results. Tell me your thoughts. I know it's a lot of infill drilling. It looks like the grades are, at the very least, as good if not better than the historical data would've suggested. It looks like the continuity is holding up. What's your take on that?

Simon Mottram: Absolutely. I think the continuity is good. The grades are holding up, the widths are holding up, the continuity is holding up. You see it in the sections in the news releases. I think the only negative you could possibly take away from it is it's more of the same — but it's more of the same good news. 

And it sounds difficult sometimes… you're droning on… but what can I say… it just keeps delivering. And I think at the end of the day we're as excited as everyone else that we're building towards the first mineral resource estimate in the second half of this year. I think it's definitely going to deliver what everyone is expecting and maybe a bit more.

Gerardo Del Real: Well, let's talk about the potential for an early holiday, an early Christmas: the magmatic nickel sulfides at Luanga and the EM. Tell me what that process looks like. And when do you think we start to find out whether that EM is lit like a Christmas tree or if it's going to take a little bit more digging to get to what's down there?

Simon Mottram: I think we'll know pretty soon. As you said, it's due to start at the end of this month and that's literally days away. So literally, I'm sitting here waiting to hear that the helicopter has arrived at the airport and they'll get into it. 

The weather looks great out the window right this second — but you never know. You're in the tropical north of Brazil. It shouldn't take that long; it should be over within a week. And then, hopefully, we'll start hearing what comes out of that in June. So I don't think it's going to take long. 

And I think you're right… it's always going to be the million-dollar or the billion-dollar question. It could easily be the game changer. And let's just hope that we see the magic in the top 300 to 400 meters that shows up on the EM and we can get out there and start drilling some holes.

Gerardo Del Real: You answered my next question… but I want to get into a bit more detail for those that maybe aren't familiar with an EM and what that process looks like and in what you're hoping to see when you get the data here in what sounds like a couple of weeks, which, again, if we're talking June, June is right around the corner. 

I can't wait to see the results from that EM. But for those not familiar with what that process looks like and what you're hoping to get out of it — can you explain that to us?

Simon Mottram: Basically, you're running an airborne electromagnetic survey. And electromagnetics, to me, is my preferred, and my favorite baby, if you like, in the world of geophysics. 

Geophysics is always, I think, seen by a lot of people, and myself included, as a bit of a black art. And I think a lot of the techniques are. But certainly, for my money, and in my opinion, electromagnetics is the one standout that is generally clear cut. If you've got massive sulfides — it's going to show up! And the only real limitation is how deep into the ground you can see.

You're basically charging the ground from a loop with a high-amperage field, if you like, that's pushed out via a generator. And you're basically looking for an effect where if there are massive sulfides, it's going to soak up some of that charge. And then, you will see that charge dissipate, and the machinery — basically, the equipment — picks that up. 

And if there are no massive sulfides there, then you won't see anything. But if there are massive sulfides there, electromagnetics, generally, will see it so long as it's not too deep. And again, it all gets a bit… what's the word I'm looking for… not theoretical… but it's relativity. 

If you look at something like Voisey's Bay, which is huge, the guys there picked that up with EM with as little as 15 amps in the ground loops, and they're putting that on the ground. And they picked that up with what is now considered pretty antiquated equipment. It's quite low amperage. But obviously, the bigger the anomaly, the easier it is to charge it and the easier it is to detect it.

I think the most important thing, from my perspective, is you very rarely see great anomalies that don't turn out to be something interesting. If there's an anomaly in EM, there's always something there. It's not like other techniques where you're doing IP or chargeability or maybe it's a resistivity anomaly or it's a low or it's a high. It depends a lot on the interpretation. 

But I find EM is one of those tools that, if there's an anomaly, there's got to be an explanation. You don't get false anomalies.

Gerardo Del Real: No false anomalies. We're going to know soon.

Simon Mottram: Generally not. If there's an anomaly, there'll be something there. And what you're looking for is that late-time anomaly… what they call the later channels that says to you, ‘Well, this is most likely going to be massive sulfide.’ And if we see late-channel anomalies, we'll be out there drilling holes for sure.

Gerardo Del Real: Well, I can't wait to have you back on to talk about those results. We mentioned off air — and I'll say it publicly — if that EM lights up like a Christmas tree, like we're hoping, this can go from a C$3 stock to a C$10 stock really, really quickly given the strike length and given what's already there. 

If you tap into that feeder system, it's going to be a fun, fun 2023. Anything to add to that?

Simon Mottram: The only thing I would add to that is, again, the great unknown in nickel massive sulfide deposits is, generally, in my experience, and certainly the discoveries I've been involved in — they're almost never where you think they're going to be.

And that's why you see that we're surveying across the whole license. We're just going to go from corner to corner and survey the whole thing. And if it's there in the footwall or it's deeper in the footwall or it's over there and there's a feeder zone, wherever it is — if there's an anomaly on that license, we are going to pick it up as long as it's not too deep.

Gerardo Del Real: Top-notch work from a top-notch team. If it is deep, obviously, there are ways to get to that as well. But let's cross that bridge if we get to it. Let's do this again in a few weeks when we get those results in, Simon.

Simon Mottram: Alright, sounds great.

Gerardo Del Real: Alright, thank you so much.

Simon Mottram: Nice to talk to you.

Gerardo Del Real: Cheers.

Simon Mottram: Thanks, Gerardo. Bye.