ACN 119 057 457
ASX QUARTERLY REPORT
FOR PERIOD ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2011
SUMMARY
MT THIRSTY PROJECT (WA)
Mt Thirsty Co-Ni-Mn Oxide Resource
• Preliminary tests indicate Mt Thirsty oxide ore may be amenable to the low cost INNOVAT continuous vat leaching process
• Negotiations continuing with native title claimants for grant of Mining
Lease
Figure 1: Mt Thirsty Project Location and Regional Geology.
Level 40, Exchange Plaza
2 The Esplanade, Perth,1Western Australia 6000
Telephone: (08) 9282 5889 Facsimile: (08) 9282 5866
Website: www.fissionenergy.com.au
Report for December Quarter 2011
MT THIRSTY COBALT -NICKEL -MANGANESE PROJECT (Fission 50%)
The Mt Thirsty Cobalt -Nickel -Manganese oxide project
covering an area of 58km2 is located 20km
north-northwest of Norseman in the southern goldfields of
Western Australia, a well endowed nickel terrain (see Figure
1). Fission through its wholly owned subsidiary Meteore
Metals Limited owns 50% of the project in joint venture with
Barra Resources Limited. The Mt Thirsty deposit has the
potential to emerge as a significant world cobalt supplier.
Metallurgical testwork indicates that high recoveries of
cobalt, nickel and manganese can be achieved through low
temperature atmospheric leaching.
Mt Thirsty has a JORC compliant Indicated Resource of 16.6
million tonnes at 0.14% Cobalt, 0.60% Nickel and 0.98%
Manganese and a JORC compliant Inferred Resource of 15.3
million tonnes at 0.11% Cobalt, 0.51% Nickel and 0.73%
Manganese over a length of 1.6 kilometres and a width of up
to 850 metres.
As well as the Cobalt-Nickel-Manganese oxide resource, the Mt
Thirsty joint venture tenements have potential for nickel
sulphide mineralisation at greater depth within the same
ultramafic sequence which hosts the near surface oxide
deposit. A nickel sulphide discovery was made by the joint
venture in 2010.
Mt Thirsty Cobalt-Nickel-Manganese Oxide Deposit
Metallurgical Testwork
Perth consultants RMDSTEM were commissioned to undertake a
preliminary evaluation of the viability of leaching Mt
Thirsty oxide ore using sodium metabisulphite. The testwork
was carried out on available drill chip samples not totally
representative of the overall resource and preliminary
(bottle roll) test recoveries of 78.7% Co and 21.1% Ni were
obtained. Test work also indicates that there is a good
possibility of improving metal recoveries by regrinding and
leaching after attritioning as the highest recoveries were
obtained from the finer sized fractions (refer Figures 2a &
b).
Based on these test results Mt Thirsty oxide ore may be
amenable to continuous vat leaching using the proprietary
INNOVAT treatment process. INNOVAT processing would require
considerably lower capital expenditure and operating costs
than for the previously developed flow sheet design. Cost
benefits of the INNOVAT process could potentially far
outweigh the considerably lower Ni recoveries achieved.
It has been proposed that Co and Ni could be precipitated
from the pregnant INNOVAT leach liquor as sulphides using
NaHS or as mixed hydroxides using MgO.
Further detailed testwork will be carried out next quarter
along with a conceptual feasibility study to determine the
efficacy and viability of this process for Mt Thirsty oxide
ore.
100. 00
90.00
80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
Series1
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
-5 5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75
Time in Hours
Figure 2a: Co recovery in the Bottle Roll test for -90µm
sample
2
Report for December Quarter 2011
100. 00
90.00
80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
Series1
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
-5 5 15 25 35 45 55 65 75
Time in Hours
Figure 2b: Co recovery in the Bottle Roll test for -6350
+3350µm sample
Mining Lease
Negotiations are continuing with the native title claimants
for a compensation package that will pave the way towards
grant of the Mining Lease covering the Mt Thirsty cobalt -
nickel oxide deposit. This process is anticipated to take at
least another several months to complete.
Greg Solomon
Executive Chairman
The interpretations and conclusions reached in this report are based on current geological theory and the best evidence available to the authors at the time of writing. It is the nature of all scientific conclusions that they are founded on an assessment of probabilities and, however high these probabilities might be, they make no claim for complete certainty. Any economic decisions that might be taken on the basis of interpretations or conclusions contained in this report will therefore carry an element of risk.
The information in this announcement, insofar as it relates to Mineral Exploration activities, is based on information compiled by Michael J. Glasson and Robert N Smith, who are members of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, both of whom have more than five years experience in the field of activity being reported on. Mr Glasson and Mr Smith are consultants. Mr Glasson and Mr Smith have sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which they are undertaking to qualify as Competent Persons as defined in the
2004 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. Mr Glasson and Mr Smith consent to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on their information in the form and context in which it appears.
It should not be assumed that the reported Exploration Results will result, with further exploration, in the definition of a
Mineral Resource.
3
distribué par | Ce noodl a été diffusé par Fission Energy Limited et initialement mise en ligne sur le site http://www.fissionenergy.com.au. La version originale est disponible ici. Ce noodl a été distribué par noodls dans son format d'origine et sans modification sur 2012-01-16 03:22:26 AM et restera accessible depuis ce lien permanent. Cette annonce est protégée par les règles du droit d'auteur et toute autre loi applicable, et son propriétaire est seul responsable de sa véracité et de son originalité. |
Documents associés | |
Second Quarter Activites Report |