Companies:

 

Articles:

 
Mining

Peak Minerals Returns Strong HM and Rutile Assays from Drilling at Minta Project

Go to Imelda Cotton author's page
By Imelda Cotton - 
Peak Minerals ASX PUA Strong HM Rutile Assays Minta Project Cameroon
Copied

Peak Minerals (ASX: PUA) has announced new heavy minerals (HM) results from broad-spaced reconnaissance drilling across residual and alluvial zones at its Minta rutile project in central Africa.

Drilling of a total of 564 holes across the Minta, Minta Est and Afanloum areas systematically tested an initial 3,500 square kilometres to identify higher-grade areas for follow-up infill drilling.

Assays from 156 holes returned significant HM and logged rutile intercepts, with highlights of 3.85 metres thickness at 18.4% HM, 4.75m at 14.2% HM and 5m at 10.7% HM.

Known Rutile Mineralisation

The Minta project comprises 21 granted and pending exploration permits across approximately 8,800 sq km of known rutile mineralisation in central Cameroon.

Initial reconnaissance sampling has assisted the company delineate areas of high-grade alluvial and residual rutile at Minta and Minta Est, with minimal to zero overburden, while also intersecting zones of high-grade zircon, gold and monazite through on-ground reconnaissance sampling at Minta Est.

Peak believes the results have materially increased Minta’s zone of mineralisation, which is approaching 1,500 sq km at an average depth of 4.1m.

The company will continue to target the mineralisation from surface using low-cost hand auger drilling, which is widely accepted for the exploration of heavy mineral sand deposits globally and is particularly effective on the residual soils at Minta due to stability of the drilled formations.

Scale and Consistency

Chief executive officer Casper Adson said the scale and consistency of mineralisation emerging across Minta was “genuinely remarkable”.

“To now approach a mineralised zone of 11,500 sq km with a 100% logged rutile success rate on all holes drilled to date highlights the sheer potential of this globally significant, rutile-dominant province,” he said.

“These results reinforce our belief that Minta has the potential to become a Tier 1 heavy mineral sands project, with alluvial and residual mineralisation styles delivering strong grades from surface and hand auger drilling unlocking early value.”

Peak’s executive team is currently at site to progress the next phase of exploration, which the company sees as a foundational step toward delivering a maiden mineral resource estimate for Minta next year.