Black Canyon Expands Strike at Wandanya with High-Grade Manganese and Potential Iron Targets
Black Canyon (ASX: BCA) has further confirmed the potential of its Wandanya manganese and iron discovery with new assays from a Phase 2 reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Western Australian project.
The program drilled 101 holes for 2,300 metres, with spacing ranging between 100m and 350m and hole centres at 40m.
The assay results demonstrate manganese mineralisation along 2 kilometres of strike with widths ranging between 150m and 450m and an average thickness of approximately 5m, with mineralisation remaining open on multiple drill lines.
‘Significant Mineral System’
“Whilst it’s early days for Wandanya, the results received from our initial drill programs provide much confidence that we have discovered a significant mineral system with many of the attributes such as grade, scale, thin overburden and the ability to produce a high-quality manganese concentrate required for a potential mine development,” managing director Brendan Cummings said.
Groote Eylandt, Woodie Woodie and Bootu Creek are the only three significant manganese deposits discovered in Australia over the past 50 years—all of which have been successfully brought into production.
“The stratabound manganese mineralisation discovered is both shallow and exceptionally consistent in grade and thickness, which is unique to the region and timely in terms of delivering a potential future supply of high-grade manganese oxide from Australia,” Mr Cummins added.
High-Grade Iron Targets
Fast-tracked assay results from three holes drilled as part of the Phase 2 program at Wandanya also confirmed the potential for high-grade iron targets along with the manganese mineralisation.
Black Canyon is now awaiting further Phase 2 manganese results, along with the high-grade iron results, and plans to commence Phase 3 drilling to define the extents of the Wandanya discoveries in mid-August.
The 3,500m Phase 3 program will extend the current drill coverage to the north and infill the current drill line to test the entire 3km of mapped manganese and iron mineralisation.
Black Canyon has consolidated a significant land holding totalling 2,300 sq km in the underexplored Balfour Manganese Field (BMF) and across the Oakover Basin, on the eastern margin of which Wandanya sits.