Heavy Minerals hits garnet mineralisation outside of Port Gregory exploration target footprint
Heavy Minerals has also applied for 15 new exploration blocks to the east of its Port Gregory acreage.
Drilling at Heavy Minerals’ (ASX: HVY) Port Gregory garnet project in Western Australia has intercepted new mineralisation outside of the exploration target area footprint.
Three step-out holes along the southern boundary of the tenement intercepted ilmenite-dominated fractions from surface, approximately 1km further across strike from the edge of previously identified mineralisation and to a depth of 30.6m.
Drilling was coupled with passive seismic interpretation to indicate a deeper-than-anticipated limestone basement and sporadic occurrences of a thin calcrete cap at shallow depths.
Due to the deeper limestone basement, Heavy Minerals has contracted Terrain Drilling to supply a large 4×4 MAN rig for completion of a 12,000m program before year end.
The larger rig will allow the company to expand its existing program by targeting deeper mineralisation across a wider area of strike.
The Port Gregory project has an exploration target of between 3.5 million tonnes and 4.5Mt contained garnet, located in the northern-most portion of the tenure.
New exploration blocks
On the back of the encouraging visual results, an application has been submitted for 15 new exploration blocks to the east of the Port Gregory acreage, adjacent to a mining lease and exploration licence owned by GMA Garnet Group.
Considered prospective for garnet and ilmenite mineralisation, the new tenure totals 45.42sq km and will increase Heavy Minerals’ ground holding by approximately 25%.
It will solidify the company’s position as the largest tenement holder in the Port Gregory region targeting garnet mineralisation.
Expanding the program
Heavy Minerals chief executive officer Nic Matich said the newly-listed company is committed to providing “tangible results and outcomes” by expanding its drilling and tenure past the original exploration target.
“The discovery of mineralisation outside our exploration target area is a testament to the quality of our tenure and the potential for it to host a sizeable heavy mineral resource,” he said.
“Applying for this additional ground was an obvious strategic decision given the visual results to date.”