Accelerate Resources Ltd (ASX:AX8) has leveraged a combination of high-resolution imagery, regional and historical geophysical data and a recent project-wide heliborne mapping program to identify a regional-size mineralised manganese corridor at the Woodie Woodie North Project in Western Australia.
The company believes the new corridor represents extensive and persistently mineralised trends, with geology analogous to high-grade mineralisation identified in the tenure’s Area 42 zone.
AX8 recently hit a particularly high-grade intercept of 5 metres of 33.7% manganese from surface at Area 42, including a 1-metre intersection grading at 50.8%.
“We are highly encouraged by the outstanding drilling results. Thirty of 46 holes returned ore grade intercepts with maximum assays of 40% to 50.8% manganese recorded in multiple drilling locations,” Accelerate Resources managing director Yaxi Zhan said in an earlier announcement.
Read: Accelerate Resources' drilling returns highest manganese grades at Woodie Woodie North
Largely unexplored region
The manganese corridor identified by Accelerate is largely unexplored, having had no notable drilling programs completed in the area.
Accelerate believes this corridor of mineralisation is an extension of the world-class Woodie Woodie Mine Corridor, where Consolidated Minerals’ Woodie Woodie Mine (currently owned by TMI Group) has produced premium high-grade low-purity manganese products for the last 50 years.
Historically, more than 56 deposits and some 35 million tonnes of manganese has been mined from the Woodie Woodie Corridor, with a tendency toward large deposits of 5 million tonnes.
Comparison of AX8's Woodie Woodie North manganese mineralised corridors and Consolidated Minerals' world-class Woodie Woodie Mine Corridor
AX8 intends to target high-grade structurally controlled mineralisation and supergene-enriched surface caps in its 2023 drilling campaign, targeting direct shopping ore (DSO) style mineralisation.
Of particular interest is the region between Chris’s Ridge and Dirk’s Valley prospect in Area 42, where Accelerate intends to extend the 2022 drilling at Dirk’s Valley, Dale’s Patch and Nathan’s Flat.
The company will also complete initial scout drilling at Chelsey’s Slide, Drape’s Hill and Citadel.
Area 42 prospects.