Arafura Resources Ltd (ASX:ARU) and joint venture partner Thor Mining (ASX:THR) have confirmed extensive tungsten mineralisation from the first stage of exploration at the Samarkand deposit, one of 13 known tungsten deposits within the Bonya project in the Northern Territory.
The Bonya tenement is jointly held by Arafura (60%) and Thor (40%) and is adjacent to Thor’s Molyhil mine project.
Samarkand channel sample location plan
Samples collected via a systematic sampling program in December 2018 from trenches returned results including:
• Trench 1: 7 metres at 0.667% tungsten trioxide and 3 metres at 0.307% tungsten trioxide;
• Trench 2: 3 metres at 0.271% tungsten trioxide; and
• Trench 3: 3 metres at 0.203% tungsten trioxide.
Notably, the Samarkand deposit outcrops at surface extending more than 500 metres and is open-ended.
Traditional owner and regulatory clearance for a drill program at Bonya are in progress, and drilling is expected to commence this month.
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Thor executive chairman Mick Billing said: “We now have confirmed tangible evidence of extensive surface outcropping tungsten mineralisation at Bonya, including mineralisation extending in excess of 500 metres of strike at Samarkand.
“Current indications are that Bonya tungsten mineralisation is coarse grained and may be amenable to low cost pre-concentration by x-ray ore sorting and treatment at the Molyhil processing plant.”