RE:RE:RE:It's Just a Waiting GameThanks Chintzy. No, I did not get an idea about the timing of any announcement etc. From my reading I did deveop the following impressions/opinions.
Once the data is collected (done weeks ago), calculation of an initial gravity map is very fast - it relies on computing power and their proprietary algorithm which is apparently very efficient = fast. I would imagine a few days for an initial refined version maybe? The people at CGI represent the state of the art in this field. I've seen on websites of companies offering gravity mapping that an initial map can be calculated in the field, i.e. immediately after collection etc.. Ivanhoe and Computational Geosciences Inc. (CGI) will have no computational processing constraints. They already have a decade of thinking and planning and analysis to draw on. I wonder too if some of the previously collected geophysical data for the southern extent of the Flatreef will help them here - I find it hard to imagine it would not do so.
The initial unconstrained gravity map could provide them with targets etc. if there is a large gravity difference target (i.e. rock density difference?), but the 'geologically constrained' gravity map is what they will really be after - this will provide a detailed underground map in 3D of the exploration area. This is achieved by adding in to the gravity database, knowledge of faulting, depth and density information of mineral layers etc., that is obtained from drill core covering the exploration area. For (I think zone 4) of Flatreef they used a 400m drillhole spacing and about 20 (?) drillcores total - maybe they will do the same in the new areas? This provided them with the geological information to calculate a constraiend and detailed gravity map that was accurate to within 50-100 m (uncertainty increasing with depth). For Flatreef, the geologically constrained map clearly distinguished the key mineral contact surface where the PGM were found. Ivanhoe might extend this process in phases - drill part of a region and extend the geologically constrained map they have from Flatreef into the new areas as each section is drilled. Who knows? With that existing dataset from Flatreef, maybe they don't need such close spaced drilling to provide a good constrained map?
So I don't have an idea of the timing for Mokopane announcements, but I do expect some great discoveries, because it is easy to be an optimist with Ivanhoe. If you look at the extent of PGM related mineralization in the northern Bushveld complex, it extends to the northern tip - 50 (fifty) km north of Platreef to the Waterberg Project. So if there was enough mineral mush pumped out of the magma chamber to get from the Mokopane feeder area north to Platreef and then another 50 km beyond - that is a lot of volume and discovery potential. Consequently I (as in my personal hope) am expecting Ivanhoe to find truly remarkable things in the new exploration areas as they develop their understanding of the feeder structures.
I personally believe that Ivanhoe is highly likely to have another Tier 1 discovery to announce in the Northern Bushveld complex before too long. Maybe it will 'just' a significant southern extension of Flatreef? Maybe it will be the early delineation of what will become the world's largest known high grade NiS deposit? Could be both?