Junior explorer Carawine Resources has started drilling in a patch of WA’s Pilbara where it previously found high-grade manganese and copper at surface.

Carawine (ASX:CWX), which was last year spun out from mineral sands explorer Sheffield Resources (ASX:SFX) and made its debut on the ASX, has started a 1500m drilling program at its Oakover project in the Eastern Pilbara.

The company previously found manganese grades of up to 53.8 per cent and up to 43.7 per cent copper from rock chip samples.

Manganese is the fourth-most-traded metal in the world. Only aluminium, iron ore and copper are more widely used.

About 90 per cent of manganese goes into steel-making, but it’s increasingly used in next-generation battery and power storage applications.

Anything above around 40 per cent manganese would fetch a good price in the current market, while anything over 6 per cent copper is considered high-grade.

Carawine also put its foot on outcropping cobalt grading up to 0.11 per cent, which is considered economic at current cobalt prices.

Carawine Resources (ASX:CWX) shares since its debut in December last year.
Carawine Resources (ASX:CWX) shares since its debut in December last year.

“We have identified multiple copper, manganese and cobalt targets at Western Star that we’re looking forward to drill testing and see this program as an excellent opportunity to establish the potential of the prospect to host significant mineral deposits,” managing director David Boyd said.

Drilling is being undertaken at the Western Star prospect, part of the Oakover project, located about 160km northeast of Newman.

While the Pilbara was the focus for iron ore miners during the boom, it has now come into the spotlight thanks to the gold nugget rush that took off last year and a number of lithium miners making new discoveries and bringing mines into production.

Carawine expects to have the results from drilling by mid-Q4.

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