Eclipse Metals finds high-grade manganese in Queensland’s Amamoor forest

Eclipse Metals (ASX: EPM) is planning further drilling at its Mary Valley manganese prospects near Gympie in Queensland after sharing highlights from a drilling program at Amamoor State Forest, including a 3.2-metre intersect that graded 59.8% manganese oxide from 8.8m.

The company described the Amamoor prospect hole highlight as a “significant intersection of brecciated and massive manganese mineralisation”, saying today the ADD006 hole had included segments that graded up to 62.18% manganese.

Eclipse reported the hole, one of eight diamond core holes drilled at Amamoor, was drilled within a manganese-mineralised zone about 15m wide.

Another intersect from Amamoor included 2.4m at 26.3% manganese from 14.9m, in hole ADD007.

There are three Mary Valley tenements at Eclipse’s landholdings north of Brisbane, south of Bundaberg and southeast of Gladstone bulk-handling port.

The company flagged the shallow depths of the high-grade intersections in a statement issued by executive chairman Carl Popal on behalf of the board which also includes Craig Hall and Rodney Dale as non-executive directors.

“Interpretation of these results highlight the open nature of the high-grade mineralisation, and that multiple lodes exist in close proximity in at least one area at Amamoor, where the mineralisation presents as steeply-dipping, lenticular-shaped fault-controlled zones,” Mr Popal reported on behalf of the trio.

“These intersections, along with surface evidence of interpreted mineralisation, indicate the potential for mineable widths of both low-grade mineralisation which may be beneficiated, along with high-grade DSO manganese mineralisation previously identified in the project area.”

The exploration land includes more than 150 square kilometres of untested lithology.

Next steps

West Perth-based explorer Eclipse is planning further drilling after this completed campaign at its Mary Valley Amamoor forest prospect.

The company said petrophysical and petrographic studies were advancing company understanding of the deposit.

“Data from last year’s gravity survey is now being re-evaluated, taking into account mineralisation intersected in the drilling program,” Mr Popal reported.

Once the studies are complete, Eclipse will propose further drilling for high grades, down-dip and along strike from the shallow zones it encountered.

Eclipse securities were up 16.7% to A$0.07 by late morning.