Source : THE AGE NEWS
By Doug Bright
Marmota’s exciting November discovery of shallow, titanium-rich heavy mineral sands in a palaeochannel at Muckanippie in South Australia has prompted it to kick off an urgent 89-hole follow-up drilling program.
The company’s exploration team has already departed Adelaide for its base camp at Aurora Tank to set up for the program. Drilling supplies are expected to arrive in a few days and work should be completed by month’s end.
Marmota drilling to follow up high-grade titanium-rich sands, view northwards, showing drill sites with high grade titanium hits.
Marmota’s seemingly sudden swerve into reconnoitering another commodity in the southeastern corner of its tenure was prompted after its recent geological review identified an east-west trending Mesozoic palaeochannel that transects part of its extensive tenure. The palaeochannel extends for at least 28 kilometres and is up to 5km wide.
The significant new geological interpretation was helped along by the South Australian Geological Survey’s November publication of a reinterpretation of the channel system.
Marmota put 106 rotary air-blast drill holes into the Muckanippie ground last year as part of its regional scout exploration for rare earths and later analysed them for titanium.
In mid-November, Marmota announced its discovery of “exceptional thick, rich titanium mineralisation from surface” in a palaeochannel it had interpreted from magnetic data over an area about 1.5km long and 750m wide at Muckanippie, in the southeast of its main tenement block.
The company bored four shallow scout holes along a single north-east trending, arcuate fence of holes into the magnetic target and nailed good thicknesses of titanium-rich heavy mineral sands in all four holes.
Primary intercept thicknesses range between 24m and 39m with titanium dioxide grades ranging between 4.6 per cent and 10.1 per cent. All intercepts are reported from surface.
The thickest intercept of 39m averaged 4.6 per cent titanium dioxide, while the best primary intercept grade of 10.1 per cent came from a 28m intercept. That hole also included 4m going 13.3 per cent titanium dioxide.
Two included 4m intercepts averaged titanium dioxide grades of 10.8 per cent and 10.3 per cent.
The mineralisation appears at this stage to be open in depth and laterally.
Marmota expects the upcoming 89-hole follow-up drilling program will better resolve the heavy mineral distribution around the initial discovery area and more fully at depth.
The company has already submitted samples for its first rounds of metallurgical testwork to specialist laboratories to establish the properties of the heavy mineral content in the discovery holes.
Its vast exploration licence coverage over a big chunk of the Gawler Craton, mostly east of Lake Anthony, is better known for its amazingly successful Aurora Tank gold discovery near the northeastern extremity of the block, 50km north of Muckanippie.
The latest heavy mineral sands discovery at Muckanippie adjoins the western end of Petratherm’s Rosewood heavy mineral sands project, which includes part of the same palaeochannel Marmota is exploring.
Petratherm, a fellow South Australian-based explorer, also jagged good titanium-rich heavy mineral sands mineralisation in early December, confirming what it calls “bonanza concentrations and thicknesses over a 2km trend” at its Rosewood titanium-rich heavy mineral sands prospect.
Petratherm says the available results from the two north-south lines of drilling across part of the palaeochannel confirm a major heavy mineral sands discovery at Rosewood.
Out of five encouraging holes, Petratherm reported a best result of 22m at 19.1 per cent heavy minerals from 8m depth including 4m at 27.9 per cent from 9m and 1m at 39.7 per cent heavy minerals from 11m.
It is waiting on results from a comprehensive suite of holes from six more parallel upstream and downstream fences on either side of its two short discovery lines.
Titanium is on the national critical mineral lists for many developed countries, including Australia and its major trading partners including the United States, the European Union, India, Japan and South Korea. This is due, in part, to its use in electric vehicles, wind technology, battery storage and in national security technologies.
Titanium possesses a vast range of uses – in household items through to the esoteric – including in the scientific, automotive, electronic, surgical implants, paints and pigments, metal alloying, aeronautical and military sectors.
The global market for titanium is estimated to be valued at more than US$22 billion (A$35.5b).
Marmota’s titanium discovery is close to transport infrastructure and adjacent to both the Adelaide to Darwin and Adelaide to Perth railway lines.
Results from the company’s upcoming drilling program will be keenly awaited to see if Marmota can add another commodity arrow to its quiver from its intriguing South Australian ground.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
