Trigg Mining assays show Lake Throssell among highest grade SOP projects in Australia

Trigg Mining (ASX: TMG) reported that recent drilling at its Lake Throssell project in Western Australia has confirmed the potential for a high-grade sulphate of potash (SOP) product.

A total of 26 holes of shallow rotary drilling were completed across the playa area of the lake — playa being defined as an area of flat land in a desert basin from which water evaporates quickly — to a depth of 10m.

Results reported today show assays up to 14,500 milligrams per litre (mg/L) SOP, equivalent to 14.5kg per square metre. The company says this provides further evidence of the high-grade potash potential.

“These results place Lake Throssell amongst the highest-grade SOP projects in Australia,” the company added.

The average grade of 77 brine samples collected came in at 11,300mg/L, with 90% of the holes drilled to date returning grades exceeding 10,000mg/L. These new holes targeted the surface aquifer.

The work followed up auger sampling that had indicated Lake Throssell was a new high-grade discovery.

First resource estimate expected in December quarter

Managing director Keren Paterson said the “exciting” results strengthened Trigg’s conviction that it can rapidly delineate a high-quality, high-grade SOP at Lake Throssell by the end of the year.

She added that these results were “providing the foundation to create a sustainable, long-term business that is highly geared to one of the world’s fastest growing markets”.

The project is located 170km east of Laverton on the Great Central Road connecting Laverton to Alice Springs.

It covers about 694 square kilometres of granted and pending tenements, within which there are 190sq km of salt-lake playa and 70km of underlying interpreted palaeochannels.

The brine chemistry was shown to be consistent with earlier results and “exhibited favourable characteristics for solar evaporative concentration”.

Trigg Mining says these latest results, together with the planned aircore drilling program, will form the basis of an inferred mineral resource estimate scheduled for the December quarter.

A recently completed ground gravity survey is being analysed to allow the company to finalise targets for the aircore drilling. This program will test the base of the aquifer which the company believes has the potential to host a large volume of potassium-rich brine.

Ms Paterson said the gravity survey will give Trigg a much clearer picture of the entire tenement.

Trigg Mining claims it is looking to secure Australia’s sustainable agriculture future through the exploration of essential potassium fertiliser, necessary for global food production and human nutrition.