5.The Golden Ridge Joint Venture  (GRJV - PIO 56% and manager, AUZ 44%)
The GRJV was formed between Australian Mines Limited and Pioneer Nickel Limited in 2006 to accelerate nickel exploration of a large area of folded ultramafic stratigraphy around the Blair Mine exclusion zone. Pioneer have spent a total of  2.4 million dollars to earn a 56% equity in the GRJV and now Australian Mines is contributing on a pro-rata basis to maintain its 44% equity stake.
The stratigraphy on the Blair tenements has been folded and faulted such that there is at least 45 kilometres of prospective basal contact under alluvial cover, including known concentrations of nickel sulphides at Blair Mine, Area 57, Blair South, Anomaly 11, Area 20SW, Marshall, and Duplex Hill.
At least eight new coincident Ni and Cu anomalies have been discovered by the GRJV in weathered ultramafics near the basal contact, and a number of EM conductors have been discovered by using the latest SQUID surface EM technology, but the exploration effort is now focussed on the two most exciting prospects which are named Leo Dam and Blair West.

 Figure 1 :  geology map and nickel prospects

1.Leo Dam
The Leo Dam Anomaly is located 1.5 km north east of the Blair Nickel Mine and is interpreted to lie on the same basal contact. A strong Ni-Cu-Pd+Pt anomaly in has been defined over a strike of approximately 350m, on three drillhole cross sections and the anomalism remains open along strike to the north and south.
The anomalous mineralisation is located within a weathered high MgO ultramafic unit located stratigraphically above a footwall basalt, and the next phase  of work will include:
- Further aircore to close off the zone of mineralisation;
- Moving loop EM surveys to look for conductors;
- A series of exploratory RC holes which will be used to test for a nickel sulphide orebody in fresh rock.

 Figure 2: Leo Dam – interpreted drilling cross-section 6,581,360m North.

2.Blair West
Ground geophysical surveys using the advanced SQUID technology was successful in defining a strong late time conductor at Blair West, which is located approximately 1 km west of Blair Nickel Mine alongside the same interpreted basal contact.
Earlier EM surveys with less sophisticated technology have previously highlighted a large early time conductor which was drilled as black shales, but the SQUID technology has highlighted a late time conductor which has the potential to be a massive nickel sulphide orebody.
Further EM modelling will be required before drill testing can commence.

 Figure 3:  GRJV – nickel prospect map and late time conductors.