Latin Resources Limited (ASX: LRS) has intersected bright white kaolin up to 50m thick across the 18km2 area drill tested by the first pass and infill air-core drilling completed at the Company’s Noombenberry Project in the east-southeast of Merredin, Western Australia.
The company said that detailed test-work from the sampling from the Phase I drilling is underway, with Phase II samples dispatched to the Laboratory.
LRS said that this is a significant opportunity to extend the known Kaolinite occurrence along strike, with reconnaissance sampling identifying bright white kaolinite in dams some 15km to the north east, within LRS’s expanded tenement holdings.
The company announced that it plans to generate a maiden mineral resource estimate for the Noombenberry Project once all results have been received.
Drilling at Noombenberry
The Company had recently completed a maiden air-core drilling campaign for a total of 197 holes for 4,430 meters at LRS’s 100% owned Noombenberry Project in WA.
The drilling was done over an area of approximately 4.5km by 4.0km (18km2) to test the extent of a known Kaolinite – Halloysite occurrence where the previous sampling has returned results of 38.9% Kaolinite, 15% Halloysite, and 31.8% K-feldspar from the 45-180 micron fraction.
Two phases of drilling
The company said that the initial phase of drilling on a regular 400m x 400m grid pattern was completed prior to the Christmas break, with a second phase of off-set infill drilling to a nominal 200m x 200m pattern focussed on thicker zones of logged kaolinitic clays completed in the first weeks of January 2021.
Significant Kaolin intersected
The company reported that logging of air-core drill cuttings has confirmed significant intersections of bright white kaolinite across the area tested with a maximum logged down hole intersection of 50 meters (NBAC058).
LRS said that the sequence of well-developed kaolinitic clay (saprolite) beneath a thin layer of soil cover is consistent across the area tested, as demonstrated in a simplified geological cross section 6,494,000mN which cuts through the centre of area of drilling.
Detailed test work of samples
The company reported that composite samples from the air-core drilling will be sent to laboratories in Perth and Adelaide where they will undergo detailed test work.
This would include size fraction analysis, brightness testing, definitive clay mineral species quantification via a combination of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and spectral scanning, along with other elemental analysis via X-Ray Florence (XRF).
LRS said that the initial results from test work are anticipated to be returned from the laboratory in February 2021.
Maiden MRE
The company said that once all results from test-work are received, a detailed geological interpretation will be produced by Latin Resources’ geological team including geological and mineralisation domain wireframes to be used in the estimation process for the generation of a maiden resource estimate.
Opportunity to extend Kaolinite occurrence
The Company expressed confidence of the potential to expand the footprint of this Kaolinite occurrence within its considerable tenement holdings in the future, with Reconnaissance prospecting of ‘target dams’ identified in aerial photomapping, confirming the presence additional bright white kaolinitic clays and kaolinized granite some 15 kilometres along strike to the north-east of the drilling area.
Management statements
Latin Resources Exploration Manager Tony Greenaway said, “Our initial observations from drill cutting are very encouraging, with our logging showing the development of a thick, consistent, flat dipping blanket of bright white kaolinitic clay across the area of our drill testing, just meters below the surface. The geometry and consistency of the kaolinite layer as illustrated in the cross section will bode well for any potential future development.
We are now able to significantly advance the Noombenberry project to the next stage, which includes a resources estimation, and other preliminary studies. While we wait for the results from the test work to be returned from the laboratory, we will build our preliminary wireframes and advance our discussions with suitably qualified resource consultants, with the aim of generating a maiden mineral resource for the Noombenberry project as soon as possible.”