Pantera rock chips set the stage for manganese drilling at Weelarrana

Rock chip sampling has identified multiple high-grade manganese targets at Pantera’s Weelarrana project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

Laboratory assaying of the 22 rock chip samples returned up to 44% manganese, equal to or better than the preliminary results returned by portable XRF analysis.

This confirms that the use of pXRF on crushed and pulped rock chip samples is a viable first pass exploration method for determining manganese content for Weelarrana.

With a Cultural and Heritage survey over the Manganese Areas 1 to 3 now confirmed for late August and tenement E 52/3981 granted, Pantera Minerals (ASX:PFE) expects to start the planned 1,5000m reverse circulation drill program at Area 1 in October.

Drill planning and permitting is also underway for Areas 2 and 3 with a further 3,000m of drilling expected to begin during the fourth quarter of 2022 or the first quarter of 2023.

The company has also made a tenement application over prospective manganese areas south of Bootu Creek manganese mine in the Northern Territory.

“We are delighted to have received confirmation of the previously reported manganese grades from our Weelarrana project. We believe this area holds great potential for the discovery of high-grade manganese mineralisation,” chief executive officer Matt Hansen said.

“It is very pleasing to quickly identify three areas of outcropping high grade manganese mineralisation with large parts of the tenement area yet to be assessed.

“The upcoming drill program will be the first time the manganese mineralisation within the tenement area has been drill tested, with the high grades reported in the rock chip samples, we look forward to the results of the maiden drill program.”

Laboratory assays

The laboratory assays returned grades of between 11.9% and 44.1% manganese from nine samples in Area 1, 18.6% to 30.1% manganese from two samples in Area 2, and between 17.8% and 43.5% manganese in Area 3.

Manganese Area 1 was originally discovered by Pilbara Manganese in 2012 with four rock chip samples taken with grades ranging from 32% to 42% manganese.

Pantera discovered Manganese Area 2 about 2.3km to the west of the first area and along the same contact.

This has been mapped out to a strike length of 730m with widths of 5m to 50m noted while rock chips returned grades of between 16.8% and 25.6% manganese.

Manganese Area 3 is located 3.4km northwest of Area 2 and is situated entirely within a broadly folded sequence of Ilgarari Siltstone with only sporadic outcrop.

Numerous exposures of outcropping to subcropping manganese replacement of shale were observed over an area of 900m by 450m with rock chips returning grades of 11.5% to 37.7% manganese.

This article was developed in collaboration with Pantera Minerals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.