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Eclipse Metals finds potential minable manganese mineralisation

Last updated: 09:10 17 Mar 2015 GMT, First published: 10:10 17 Mar 2015 GMT

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Eclipse Metals’ (ASX:EPM) third phase of exploration has demonstrated potential for the historic Amamoor mine site at its Mary Valley Manganese Project in Queensland to host mineable high grade mineralisation.

Shallow exploration targets beneath and adjacent to historic workings could contain more than 37,000 tonnes grading up to 52% manganese to less than 15 metres depth.

Adding to the interest, this is the first time that high grade manganese mineralisation has been geologically mapped and orientation determined.

This is based on recent fieldwork carried out by the company at Amamoor.

Historical Amamoor manganese mine workings constitute a brownfields project with potential for readily mineable mineralisation on or near surface.

Old waste dumps and stockpiles could provide bulk samples and possibly saleable ore to evaluate potential for full-scale mining.

Based on a Cuban style model, the potential resource of manganese mineralisation available at Amamoor could be significantly higher.

Historical near surface production has been reported as up to nearly 20,000t at up to 51% manganese between 1920 and 1960.

The mineralisation style shows similarities to the Woodie Woodie deposit.

“The board is pleased to have received such positive confirmation of potentially minable manganese mineralisation, having a potential commercial value greater than the current market cap of the whole company,” executive chairman Carl Popal said.

“The company’s outstanding uranium projects in NT, combined with the exciting Mary Valley Manganese project, need commercial evaluation to build on the current positive technical interpretation.”

Further exploration of other prospects has potential to delineate additional mineralisation.


Amamoor Manganese Mine

The historical Amamoor Manganese Mine workings are on the top and eastern side of a ridge mostly composed of volcanic rock.

There are three groups of workings – the Northern Workings, Central Workings and Southern Workings, each of which consists of a series of narrow, shallow excavations made sub-parallel to the ridge.

These excavations enabled mining to follow the tabular lenses of manganese mineralisation down slope. 

Eclipse Metals has identified eight lenses of manganese mineralisation.

The thickness and orientation of the lenses of manganese mineralisation in the Amamoor mine workings, along with historic evidence and likelihood that mineralisation is of the Cuban-type, supports the idea that mineralisation continues down-dip, below and beyond the present workings.

In most cases, there is likely to be only 5 metres to 10 metres overburden.


Mary Valley Manganese Project

The Mary Valley Manganese Project offers Eclipse the opportunity to identify additional mineralisation in largely under-explored tenements with historic production.

It comprises two tenements located 14 road kilometres southwest of Gympie in Queensland and about 165 rail kilometres from Brisbane.

These have historic production of over 31,000 tonnes of ore grading 42% to 51% manganese from mining operations carried out during the 1920’s and 1960’s.

In the past 50 years little to no geological activity has been recorded over the Mary Valley prospects for manganese.

Work carried out by Eclipse has increased its geological understanding and development of manganese exploration targets. 

Recent assessment of historical mine workings that indicate that the full extent of mineralisation has not been exploited, providing substantial exploration upside while rock chip samples have returned results of up to 52% manganese.

An additional Exploration Permit for Minerals (EPM) No. 25698 was applied for on 24th July 2014 to extend the Mary Valley Manganese Project area.


Analysis

Exploration at Eclipse Metals’ tenements is very much in its early stages and to have identified potential for mineable high grade manganese mineralisation at the historic Amamoor mine site is a clear demonstration of their potential.

That this is located beneath and adjacent to historic workings makes this a brownfields project with potential for rapid development.

Further exploration of other prospects has potential to delineate additional mineralisation at the Mary Valley Manganese Project.

There is more news flow in the pipeline due to the amount of data generated by the recent fieldwork.



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