Metallica Minerals (ASX: MLM) has announced a 40% increase in the silica sand resource at its Cape Flattery Project, with in-situ quality of 99.19% SiO2 and 0.12% Fe2O3.
The JORC 2012 compliant upgrade comes following drilling at the project in August 2021, and sees a ‘significant’ increase in indicated-category resources, along with the inclusion of resources in the measured category for the first time.
Drilling was carried out using a combination of 120 vacuum drill holes along with hand auger work, and confirmed that ‘high-quality’ white silica sand is present with SiO2 levels exceeding 98.5%, and relatively low iron present across the project area.
The company notes that these are key specifications that potential offtake partners use when determining marketable potential.
“The combined Measured and Indicated components of the total resource confirms our confidence and are a major milestone as we progress the development of our high-quality silica sand project”
Speaking on the upgrade, Metallica Minerals Executive Chairman Theo Psaros said “we are delighted to announce a further major upgrade of the high purity silica sand resource at our Cape Flattery project. We lodged our Mining Lease Application in June of this year with confidence in the project’s potential. The combined Measured and Indicated components of the total resource confirms our confidence and are a major milestone as we progress the development of our high-quality silica sand project. We continue to receive positive interest from international and domestic parties for quality silica sand. This does not surprise us based on forecast growth in the global demand for premium product.”
Metallica reports that initial development is planned in the area housing the measured-category resource, as this will deliver highest silica grades and lowest iron content. Representative drill samples from 20 holes within this area have been composited to produce a sample for metallurgical test work.
Images: Metallica Minerals Limited
