Parkway Minerals NL (ASX:PWN) has hit thick, potassium-rich greensands in aircore drilling at its Dandaragan Fertiliser Project in Western Australia.
The drilling program consisted of 40 aircore holes for 1,788 metres and focused on the Dambadgee and Dinner Hill South exploration targets.
Results demonstrate the Dambadee area has extensive and thick sequences of greensands, with a highlighted interval exceeding 50 metres at 3.8% potassium.
Parkway managing director Patrick McManus said: “This drilling has confirmed the potential of the Dambadgee prospect to host a very thick greensand unit, with high values of potassium.
“This will make an excellent target for using our K-Max process, which is in patent process, to produce sulphate of potash (SOP), phosphate fertilisers and other chemicals.”
The Dambadgee prospect was previously regarded as two areas, however the current drilling has demonstrated the prospect is one continuous zone.
The program also returned thick intervals of fresh greensands in the Poison Hill and Molecap formations, which are beyond the eastern boundary of the current Dambadgee exploration target.
Significant intersections at Poison Hill include 22 metres at 3.18% potassium and 1.98% phosphate from 58 metres; and 5 metres at 6.21% potassium and 1.24% phosphate from 76 metres.
Molecap greensand intersected 57 metres at 3.8% potassium and 1.6% phosphate from 92 metres; and 22 metres at 4.41% potassium and 0.68% phosphate from 117 metres.
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The Dinner Hill South prospect was drill tested to further understand the variation in the weathering profile and distribution of phosphate nodules within the greensands.
Results show the base of weathering is quite variable over short distances and the thickness of fresh greensand varies between 1-6 metres in thickness.
Distribution of phosphate nodules is variable, reflected in the range of grades between 0.16-3.71% phosphate.
Phosphates occur as both nodules and fine cement within the greensands.
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Greensands consist of quartz, glauconite, phosphates and minor clays.
Parkway’s patented K-Max process recovers the potassium from glauconite as SOP while phosphates and other chemicals are recovered in the process as by-products.
The location of the Dandaragan project is favourable for an agricultural mineral mining project.
Excellent multi-user infrastructure exists close to the project site, with power, rail, water, gas and roads all nearby.