Balfour East and Damsite Deposits
The Company successfully completed an extensive reverse circulation drilling program at the Balfour East and Damsite deposits within the Balfour Manganese Field. This delivered a significant Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for a combined total of 40 Mt @ 11.9% Mn containing 4.7 Mt of manganese.
The Mineral Resources at Balfour East and Damsite are hosted in mostly outcropping and sub cropping manganese enriched shales and form subtle topographically elevated features. The Mineral Resources defined at Balfour East and Damsite have been estimated utilising a subset of the RC drilling completed by Black Canyon, comprising 84 holes for 2,896 m of drilling.
At Balfour East, the MRE is based on two traverses perpendicular to one another that were designed to follow-up the long axis of the outcrop and provide two step out holes either side of the outcrop. The drill holes were completed on either 200 or 100 m spaced drill hole centres. The early-stage drill data shows the manganese enriched shale geology and grades are continuous downhole, along and across strike, which supports the Inferred Mineral Resource classification at this drill spacing. The mineralisation is open along and cross strike, but further drilling is required to confirm the extents.
At Damsite, the MRE is based on traverses completed on three north south oriented 200 m spaced lines and 100 m spaced drill hole centres. The drill data shows the manganese enriched shale geology and grades are continuous downhole, across and along strike, which supports the Inferred Mineral Resource classification at this drill spacing. The mineralisation is open to the north.
Summary of Mineral Resources for the Balfour East and Damsite deposits (BCA 100%) across the Balfour Manganese Field, December 2023
Notes to Table:
(1) Mineral resources reported at a cut-off grade of 7% Mn.
(2) Appropriate rounding has been applied.
(3) Refer to Appendix 1 JORC Table 1, Sections 1 to 3 and Appendix 2 for further details.
Long Section (looking northwest) showing the Balfour East Mineral Resource Estimate model cells and drill holes coloured by Mn grade (%).
Cross section 252,400 mE (looking west) showing Damsite Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate model cells and drill holes coloured by Mn grade (%).
The geology at Balfour East and Damsite are similar and can be separated into a number of primary units:
• The surface enriched manganese shales which are typically higher grade and maybe weakly to moderately ferruginised to some extent and occur from surface to 15 m depth.
• A thick and widely distributed manganiferous shale unit that contains the supergene (manganese) enriched shale located between surface and 30 m depth.
• At depth, the fresh manganiferous olive to green shales of the Balfour shale persist but have a lower manganese content.
Balfour East deposit manganese grade distribution projected to surface and JORC Mineral Resource Classification (>7% Mn)
Damsite deposit manganese grade distribution projected to surface and JORC Mineral Resource Classification (>7% Mn)
