General News
2 June, 2024
‘Significant high grade’ mineral sands testing
CONTINUOUS high-quality mineral sand deposits have been discovered south-west of Boort. Gold miner and explorer Falcon Metals is now planning further testing of drilling samples from its Farrelly mineral sands prospect Falcon said analysis of the...
CONTINUOUS high-quality mineral sand deposits have been discovered south-west of Boort.
Gold miner and explorer Falcon Metals is now planning further testing of drilling samples from its Farrelly mineral sands prospect
Falcon said analysis of the site, 17km from Boort, would be in parallel to prospecting at the adjoining Pyramid Hill gold site where latest aircore drilling is expected to finish within weeks.
Falcon Metals managing director Tim Markwell said: “The results at Farrelly are quite outstanding and define what appears to be a discovery of a continuous zone of high-grade heavy mineral sands over a sizable area, which remains open.
“While it is early days in our understanding of Farrelly, with more drilling and test work required, it is shaping up to become a significant mineral sands deposit, in proximity to other major deposits, but at far higher grades.
“We need to assess the heavy mineral assemblage, and further work is needed on the sizing, clay content and recovery, which are all important factors in progressing mineral sands projects.
“There is also an opportunity to look at the critical minerals content with the potential for Monazite and Xenotime, containing important rare-earth-elements.
“Importantly, we have not yet defined the limits of the high-grade zone and drilling to test this is expected to recommence in the summer once harvesting is completed, in parallel with our gold exploration at Pyramid Hill.”
Mr Markwell said samples from the recent drilling would be used for metallurgical testing over the next three months.
Falcon will also look at the sizing of the heavy minerals and their potential recovery through conventional wet and dry separation techniques.
Falcon said Victoria’s Murray Basin hosted several major mineral sands projects with associated rare earth elements at advanced stages of development and it had conducted follow-up drilling after announcing initial results in March.
Falcon has also announced taking up four new options across central and northern Victoria.
It will have 20 months to complete 50 aircore drill holes with a minimum aggregate meterage of 6250 metres and a minimum combined 750 metres of drilling through bedrock at the Macorna Gold Project.
The company said: “Falcon has a dominant ground position to the west of the Whitelaw Fault at its interpreted northern extension, and this area will be a focus for the remainder of the current drill season which is expected to finish in early June, weather dependent.
“Further results for aircore drilling from the Pyramid Hill gold project are now expected in the next three to four weeks,” Falcon said.
The Pyramid Hill project is next to Catalyst Metals’ Four Eagles project, a joint venture with Hancock Prospecting.