Mineral exploration company Heavy Minerals (ASX:HVY) has returned ‘exceptional’ initial assay results following a maiden aircore (AC) drilling program at its Red Hill Garnet Project in Western Australia.
The results, generated by the 48 hole drill program, represent the first batch of assays returned from drilling and have delivered numerous ‘significant’ intercepts exceeding more than 5% total heavy minerals (THM).
Heavy Minerals reports the best intercept was returned from hole RHAC0039 with 0-43m @ 6.2% THM. Initial sachet scanning results also indicate a weighted average garnet fraction of 75% and an ilmenite fraction of 10%.
Key results include hole RHAC0039 with 8.2% THM over 20m from 21m downhole; hole RHAC0038 with 6.6% THM over 22m from 20m downhole; and hole RHAC0040 with 5.9% THM over 15m from surface.
Drilling began in January 2023 and resulted in about 1,815 samples being submitted to Diamantina laboratories for assay. Heavy Minerals anticipates receiving the balance of the Red Hill, as well as additional Port Gregory assays within the next few weeks.
Addressing the results, Heavy Minerals Non-Executive Chairman, Adam Schofield, says: “The company is very pleased to have received these initial assays for Red Hill and we are absolutely thrilled with the large, garnet-enriched mineralised sand package that has been identified. The exceptional results from holes RHAC0038, 0039, 0040 and 0041 are indicative of potentially economic grades suitable for mining and mineral processing.
“The exceptional results from holes RHAC0038, 0039, 0040 and 0041 are indicative of potentially economic grades suitable for mining and mineral processing.”
The company has collated the first batch of assays received from Diamantina Laboratories and the summary of the more significant higher-grade results are presented in Table 1 below.
We are also pleased that Andrew Taplin has commenced in his role as Chief Executive Officer and we look forward to Andrew driving the company’s Prefeasibility Study (PFS) work and extended exploration program for the company’s projects in the coming year. The company anticipates it will commence its Prefeasibility study for the Port Gregory Project in May 2023.”
Additionally, garnet fractions in heavy mineral fractions range from 65%-80%, which share similarities to fractions observed at its Port Gregory Project approximately 33km north of Red Hill.
The company notes the laboratory has been upgrading and relocating its sample preparation facilities, which occurred in early January, and resulted in an unforeseen 6-week delay in the processing of client samples,impacting the delivery of assay results from Port Gregory and Red Hill to the market.
With further assays expected to be received in the near future, Heavy Minerals announces it will move forward with airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) surveys at both the Port Gregory and Red Hill projects scheduled to commence in April this year.
Heavy Minerals also announces a maiden JORC resource for Red Hill is also expected for June this year alongside a Scoping Level Metallurgical Study.
Heavy Minerals is an ASX-listed industrial mineral exploration company with a portfolio of projects considered prospective for industrial minerals, including but not limited to garnet, zircon, rutile, and ilmenite. The company’s Red Hill project is located about 38km south of its neighbouring Port Gregory project and approximately 70km by road to the Port of Geraldton.
The project represents an ‘exciting’ recent discovery with ‘high-grade’ garnet being observed over a 1km by 1km area, and together with the Port Gregory project comprise a joint JORC (2012) inferred and indicated mineral resource of 135 million tonnes @ 4% THM, including 4.9 million tonnes of contained garnet and 220,000 tonnes of ilmenite.
Images: Heavy Minerals Ltd
