Petratherm (ASX:PTR) plans for bulk sample testwork at its Rosewood prospect within the Muckanippie Project in South Australia, following a drilling program that identified a 1.6km extension of heavy mineral mineralisation.
At Rosewood East, a 1 tonne bulk sample from the upper mineralised zone was composited from eight holes spaced 200m apart along a 1.4-kilometre trend. This material will undergo large scale metallurgical test work once initial HM assaying has been completed.
The bulk sample will be processed by IHC Mining in Brisbane using a wet concentrator plant, followed by magnetic and electrostatic separation to produce HM concentrates.
Petratherm says the study aims to inform mineral recovery processing and potential mineral products.
HM results from the remaining 63 drillholes at Rosewood are expected imminently. This includes those contained on the JV tenement EL 6715, part owned by Narryer Metals (ASX:NYM).
Mineralisation remains open to the north at Rosewood East with intersections returning 8m @ 13.1% heavy mineral from 6m including 4m @ 20.5% heavy mineral from 7m, extending mineralisation to at least 3.6km in the north-south direction.
The company previously reported elevated grades from Rosewood, averaging more than 95% valuable heavy mineral content.The aircore drilling program spanned a total of 73 drillholes in April, with the first ten now available.
Intercepts returned 26m @ 17.2% heavy mineral from 7m including 6m @ 36.4% heavy mineral from 27m, and 32m @11.1% heavy mineral from 10m, including 3m @ 22.7% heavy mineral from 11m.
The remaining results from this program are expected in three weeks.
CEO Peter Reid says that drilling performed at the project continues to demonstrate “high-grade” mineralisation.
“On this basis, we would anticipate future step out Phase 3 exploration drilling in the coming weeks will continue to identify additional high-grade mineralisation and extend the potential size of the exciting Rosewood discovery,” Reid says.
The company will begin bulk sample testwork at the project shortly to identify separation processing and produce initial sample products.
“This will be a key milestone and will go a long way to demonstrating the potential future commercial viability of the project.” Reid says.
Further afield on the Muckanippie Project, HM drill assay results from a further 55 exploration holes, testing saprolite HM targets (Duke, Nardoo and Claypan Prospects) will soon follow, and are currently expected during July.
These are also located on the JV tenement EL 6715. Bench scale mineralogical and metallurgical studies are being performed on the HM concentrates at Rosewood and the other saprolite HM prospects and results will be released as they come to hand over the coming months.
The company says the next round of exploration drilling at Rosewood will test for further extensions of the Rosewood mineralisation, particularly to the north. Planning of the phase three program will be guided by Phase 2 results and therefore will commence once the remaining phase two assays have been received.
The Mackanippie Project covers 645km2 of land in the north Gawler Craton of South Australia, constructed as a series of large layered intrusions ranging in composition from ultramafic to felsic.
Petratherm is an Australian explorer focused on the development of copper and critical minerals across its deposits in South Australia.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Petratherm
