Bryah Resources unearths up to 42% manganese at Black Hill

Bryah Resources (ASX: BYH) has continued its run of positive manganese results revealing this morning it has intersected up to 42% manganese at the Black Hill prospect within its Bryah Basin project in Western Australia.

Assays have been received from drilling at Black Hill and Black Caviar prospects, with the high-grade manganese uncovered at Black Hill believed to be direct shipping ore grades.

Additionally, most of the mineralised intersections at both Black Hill and Black Caviar extended from surface.

Best results at Black Hill were 6m at 38.1% manganese, including 3m at 42% manganese; and 5m at 36.9% manganese, including 1m at 40.4% manganese.

Meanwhile, drilling at Black Caviar revealed 2m at 32.9% manganese; and 3m at 28% manganese, including 2m at 32.1% and 1m at 24.9% manganese.

“We are very pleased with the high-grade manganese from the first holes drilled at the Black Hill prospect – intervals from surface have recorded direct shipping ore grades,” Bryah managing director Neil Marston said.

“These results demonstrate the growing potential for Bryah to make additional manganese discoveries in the Bryah Basin, as it has about 60km of the manganiferous Horseshoe formation under its control,” he added.

The results were part of a phase two 83-hole for 2,081m reverse circulation program across the prospects as well as the historic Horseshoe South mine and the Brumby Creek prospect.

Black Hill and Black Caviar were both discovered during ground reconnaissance work and rock chip sampling programs.

At both prospects, several rock chip assays exceeded 40% manganese.

Bryah is planning to undertake further drilling at Black Hill in the next campaign.

Brumby Creek

Today’ assays follow exploration success earlier in the week at Brumby Creek where numerous mineralised intersections were encountered.

Better results from Brumby Creek were 23m at 25.8% manganese from surface, including 3m at 31.2% manganese from 2m, 2m at 30.4% manganese from 6m, and 2m at 32.8% manganese from 10m.

Mr Marston pointed out drilling had also firmed up “significant extensions” to mineralisation identified under the first drilling program.

“We have extended the zones of manganese mineralisation to the west of the prospect as we as identifying new manganese areas up to 1km along strike to the south,” he added.

With assays now at hand for Brumby Creek, Black Hill and Black Caviar, Bryah stated results are anticipated from Horseshoe South “in the coming days”.

Manganese joint venture

Integrated manganese company OM Holdings (ASX: OMH) is funding manganese exploration at Bryah Basin under a staged earn-in agreement executed with Bryah in April this year.

OM is earning up to 70% of the manganese rights at the project by spending $7.3 million on exploration.

“The OM Holdings Group has manganese mining expertise and is seeking new sources of manganese ore to replace its Bootu Creek production in the near future. This means that we are both strongly aligned it Bryah’s stated aim of moving from explorer to manganese ore producer in the near-term,” Mr Marston explained.