Panther Metals (LSE:PALM) has commenced a discovery-focused diamond drilling programme at the Awkward Conduit Target within the Obonga Project in Ontario with an initial near-vertical hole planned to approximately 400 metres to validate its conduit model.
The Obonga Project, which Panther describes as a district-scale exploration package on the Obonga Greenstone Belt, hosts multiple high-priority targets including Wishbone, Awkward, Survey, Ottertooth and Silver Rim and has been in the company's portfolio since July 2021.
The company said the hole is designed to intercept the interpreted base of a tube-like magma conduit or chonolith, modelled as the magmatic feeder to the Awkward Intrusion where sulphides may pool and concentrate nickel, copper and platinum group elements.
Panther cites coincident geophysics, sulphide indicators and metal signatures plus analogues such as the Norilsk-Talnakh system and geological similarities to Lac des Iles and Mt Keith as drivers of industry interest in the target.
Prior work across Obonga includes a circa‑2,000m programme at Wishbone that confirmed VMS-style mineralisation (including 27.3m of massive sulphide and 51m of sulphide-dominated mineralisation) and historic Awkward West drilling that returned 27.2m at 2.25% TGC, and Panther holds an Exploration Permit for Awkward West allowing up to 31 holes.
The programme will remain results-driven, with drilling depth, follow-up work and any expansion to be guided by geological observations and findings encountered during operations.
"This is a discovery programme designed to test the Awkward conduit theory, which has generated by far the greatest level of interest from across the industry of any target within our portfolio," said Darren Hazelwood, Chief Executive Officer.
